TNAG-2734-FCO40-3942-Hong-Kong-role-of-the-Legislative-Council-(LEGCO)-1993 — Page 99

1995-00-12

6.1.9

APPROACHES P4

THERE ARE A NUMBER OF STEPS AS ONE EGISLATION." FIRST OF ALL, THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL HAS TO ENDORSE EGISLATIVE PROPOSALS AND IN THE CASE OF THE PROPOSALS ON

HAÇ DEEN DONE. SECONDLY,

yo

1990 ILI

TUT

THE 1994

ADMINT CUTTY ANTAN

THAT

THE

AS TO GAZETTE THOSE PROPOSALS AND THAT, AFTER NOT HAVING TAKEN

THE NEXT STEP IS CTN FOR FOUR FRIDAYS, WE INTEND TO DO TODAY. NTRODUCTION OF LEGISLATION TO THIS COUNCIL. WE'LL HAVE TO CONSIDER "AKING THAT STEP IN THE LIGHT OF OTHER DEVELOPMENTS BUT I WANT TO

SAY

TO

Ι SAY

POSSIBLE 70

THE COUNCIL STRAIGHTAWAY THAT I STILL HOPE THAT IT'S HAVE TALKS ABOUT THE ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE 1994/95 ELECTIONS. THAT, HOWEVER, RECOGNISING THAT TIME MOVES ON, RECOGNISING THAT WE ARE OT IMAGINING THE DIFFICULTY AS WE PROCEED INTO THIS LEGISLATIVE VERY SESSION OF HAVING LESS AND LESS TIME FOR CONSIDERING THESE IMPORTANT MATTERS. I DON'T IMAGINE THAT MEMBERS OF THIS COUNCIL WILL TAKE A DECISION TO LIMIT THE AMOUNT OF DEBATE THEY WANT TO THESE PROPOSALS MERELY BECAUSE WE HAVE TAKEN AN AMOUNT OF

INTRODUCE THEM TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. ACTUALLY HAVE TO TAKE ACCOUNT OF OTHER DEVELOPMENTS, WE'LL ALSO HAVE

THE ACCOUNT OF THE FACT THAT WE NEED TO GIVE

LEGISLATIVE ADEQUATE TIME TO DISCUSS THESE MATTERS.

HAVE ON TIME TO

SO WHILE WE'LL TO TAKE COUNCIL

THE

ISSUE

UNNECESSARY WITHOUT

THE HONOURABLE GENTLEMAN ALSO REFERRED TO ROLE OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL AND I HOPE THAT HONOURABLE MEMBERS WILL ALLOW ME TO SAY A WORD OR TWO ABOUT THAT BECAUSE IT IS AN ON WHICH I THINK IN THE LAST FEW DAYS THERE HAS BEEN SOME CONFUSION. LIFE IS DIFFICULT ENOUGH, AS I'VE SAID, ALREADY, IMAGINING

HUGE HYPOTHETICAL OTHER DIFFICULTIES AND WITHOUT CREATING CONSTITUTIONAL PROBLEMS. THE ROLE OF THIS COUNCIL IN LEGISLATING IS WEEKS CLEAR.

A NUMBER OF HONOURABLE MEMBERS HAVE IN RECENT DAYS AND EXPLAINED

ACCOUNT THAT ROLE TO OFFICIALS IN PEKING. WE HAVE TO TAKE OF THE JUDGMENTS OF THIS COUNCIL ON THE LEGISLATION THAT WE PUT BEFORE OF ᎥᎢ .

THE COUNCIL WILL ALSO KNOW OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL POSITION SOVEREIGN POWER AND THE CONSTITUTIONAL POSITION OF THIS COUNCIL.

- IT IT

WILL,

I'M SURE, BE AWARE OF THE FACT THAT UNDER SECTION 26 MIGHT NOT HAVE REMEMBERED THE NUMBER - OF THE ROYAL INSTRUCTIONS, I CAN'T ACCEPT LEGISLATIVE PROPOSALS WHICH GO AGAINST TREATY OBLIGATIONS AND IN INTO ENTERED

POWER. BY THE UNITED KINGDOM, THE SOVEREIGN

ARRANG ENTA FOR ELECTORAL !U LEGISLATIVE PROPOSALS, THE

IS 1994/95, THERE ARE TWO VERY OBVIOUS TREATY OBLIGATIONS. THE FIRST

CIVIL AND THE JOINT DECLARATION AND THE SECOND IS THE CONVENTION ON POLITICAL RIGHTS. I DON'T THINK THAT THIS COUNCIL WOULD BE LIKELY TO BUT I TAKE

DECISION WHICH WENT AGAINST THOSE TREATY OBLIGATIONS, THINK THIS COUNCIL WOULD KNOW PERFECTLY WELL WHAT THE GOVERNOR BE OBLIGED TO DO WERE IT TO DO SO.

THE

NOW

WOULD

AS

POSITION TO STATE THAT CONSTITUTIONAL CLEARLY AS I HAVE, DOESN'T IN MY VIEW IN ANY WAY DETRACT FROM THE FACT I'M THAT THIS COUNCIL HAS TO LEGISLATE ON THE PROPOSALS WHICH GAZETTING TODAY AND WHICH PERHAPS IN DUE COURSE WE WILL INTRODUCING.

BE

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ME: 16:41:38

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