TNAG-2737-FCO40-3950-Hong-Kong-Letters-Patent-1993-1993 — Page 114

CODE 18-77

Confidential

Reference

Miss Brooks,

Legal Counsellor

0176

HEB 012/5

RECE

CISTRY

LETTERS PATENT AND ROYAL INSTRUCTIONS: COMPOSITION OF 1995 LEGCO

1.

I discussed with Joseph Lat the concern you raised yesterday evening. He made the following points:

(i) The proposed amendments to the Letters Patent and RIs are related to the Governor's proposals. However the amendments are broad and none of them touch on aspects of the Governor's proposals which are controversial. The proposed amendment to LPVII would be desirable even without the Governor's proposals to clarify that voting in both functional and geographical constituencies does not conflict with the Bill of Rights.

(ii) CAB's legal advisers agree that it would be desirable to have the amendments made to the Letters Patent and RIs before the Elections Provisions Bill is gazetted (note: the Boundaries and Election Commision Bill has already been gazetted). However, they not consider this to be essential and have advised CAB that the deadline for making the amendments is before the Third Reading of the Bill; this is unlikely to be before June/July 1993.

2. I attach a copy of the Electoral Provisions (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 1993.

mawach.

ми

N Whitney

Hong Kong Department WH304 telno 2651

26 February 1993

min.patent.ADMIN

JEB

Confidential