§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 14 June,Official Report, columns 397–98, if he will list each account of the meeting or of matters arising at the meeting 424W which were transmitted to (a) the Foreign Office in London, (b) the United Kingdom high commissioner in Malaysia and (c) other Government Departments.
§ Mr. GoodladA single account of the meeting was transmitted from Hong Kong to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and to the British high commissioner in Malaysia on 17 January 1985. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office was sent a copy of the minutes of the meeting in 1992.
§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 14 June,Official Report, columns 397–98, what is the present relationship between Mr. Chooi Mun Sou and the Hong Kong Government; when and by which officials this relationship was commenced; and how much money has been paid to him and his company by the Hong Kong Government.
§ Mr. GoodladMr. Chooi Mun Sou is the senior partner of a firm of solicitors instructed by the Attorney-General of the Hong Kong Government in December 1985 to act in proceedings in the Malaysian courts. It is not the practice of the Hong Kong Government to disclose the fees that they pay to individual professionals engaged to act on their behalf.
§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 14 June,Official Report, columns 397–98, who was the person from the Attorney-General's Department who attended the meeting; and in what capacity and on what basis each of the persons at the meeting were present.
§ Mr. GoodladThe name of the person from the Attorney-General's chambers was not recorded. The names of the other people who attended the meeting, and the capacity in which they attended, were given in my answer of 14 June,Official Report, column 398.
§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the name of the Hong Kong Government official who authorised the addifavit sworn by C. M. Adkins and filed with the High Court in London on 15 June 1990.
§ Mr. GoodladMs Adkins was employed by solicitors acting for the Hong Kong Government and as such was authorised to swear affidavits on behalf of the Hong Kong Government.
§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 14 June,Official Report, column 397–98, if he will list each occasion on which the minutes of the meeting on 17 January 1985 as recorded by the Hong Kong side have been made subject to a public interest immunity certificate; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. GoodladThe document in question was the subject of a certificate claiming public interest immunity in the course of Lorrain Osman's seventh application for habeas corpus.
§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 14 June,Official Report, column 397–98, if he will list the files taken to the meeting on 17 January 1985 by the late Sir John Brembridge.
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§ Mr. GoodladI understand that no files or papers were taken to the meeting by the late Sir John Brembridge.
§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 14 June,Official Report, column 398, what is the practice of his Law Officers and the Law Officers of Hong Kong, relating to the circulation of information contained in a witness's or defendant's statement to parties not connected to an investigation.
§ Mr. GoodladIt is not the practice of the Attorney-General in Hong Kong to supply copies of statements of witnesses or defendants to third parties but, exceptionally, he may do so, in the interests of law enforcement, to other law enforcement Departments.