TNAG-2462-FCO40-3583-Application-of-Colonial-Laws-Validity-Act-in-Hong-Kong-1992 — Page 41

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5.

In considering the Privy Council procedures, please look at: how survivable amendments to the Letters Patent would be if they had been taken through all the necessary steps required except for final publication in Hong Kong that is- to say whether the new Government after a British general election would have to go back to the beginning.

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6. This last point raises a more general point-which is- whether Ministers would want to leave this issue unresolved at the time of the general election. A new government might well take the view that if previous administrations. had not felt it necessary to block Section 5 of the Colonial Laws Validity Act, then this was not something that need immediately concern a new government, and that they would let LegCo proceed. if: it: had: the majority. There could be real dangers in leaving this matter unresolved through the Spring.

R: A Burns

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