TNAG-2690-FCO40-3892-Hong-Kong-Her-Majesty-s-Overseas-Civil-Service-(HMOCS)-poli-1994 — Page 42

CONFIDENTIAL

F.

Contingent

Commonwealth

New

Short

Institute

(Dissolution)

Bill

G.

Contingent

Hong Kong (Appeals) Bill

Twice

Very short

H.

Uncontro- versial

4.

Conference on New

Short

Security and

Cooperation

in Europe

(Privileges and

Immunities) Bill

To wind up the Commonwealth Institute; to vest the

Institute's assets and the Endowment Fund in any successor body; repeal of the Imperial Institute Act 1925 and the Commonwealth Institute Act 1958.

To abolish appeals

from Hong Kong to the Judicial

Committee of the Privy Council consequent upon the establishment of

the Court of Final Appeal in Hong Kong.

To confer privileges and immunities on a limited number of officials of the CSCE and to establish the institutions of the CSCE as legal entities.

Of the above, Serial A (European Communities Bill) must be

regarded as the first priority. Even though there may be some

slippage in the timetable for accession from 1 January 1995,

there will still be a need for the Bill later in the 1994/95 session. Serial B (Commonwealth Development Corporation Bill) must also now have a high priority as the CDC's existing borrowing limits will now be reached early in 1995. ODA attach considerable importance to Serial C (Crown Agents Privatisation Bill) being given a high priority and ODA officials are advising

Lady Chalker to minute to the Secretary of State reinforcing this

message. However, the need for this Bill will fall away if the Treasury's bid for a general privatisation bill for the 1994/95 session is successful. Serial D (Antarctic Environment Bill)

also has a high priority given that the entry into force of the

Environmental Protocol depends on UK ratification and it would be

CONFIDENTIAL