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Rules under the Immigration Act 1971. In June, the Ministerial
Group GEN 139 considered a memorandum from the Foreign &
Commonwealth and Home Secretaries on the revision of nationality
law and directed officials to prepare a further paper of points
on the basis of which Parliamentary Counsel might be instructed.
That paper was considered by Ministers on 25 July.
The paper
was lengthy and complicated, but Ministers' discussion and the
decisions taken are summarised in the Minute of the meeting
which is attached.
Rewined to Private office 3/9/73
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3.
It will be seen that Ministers directed officials to
undertake further work and that it was decided (point 10,
pages 5 & 6 of the Minute) that the Governor of Hong Kong
and possibly a small number of other Governors should be con-
sulted as to whether the establishment of a collective colonial
citizenship which would cover all colonial territories would
lead to unacceptable risks. The Governor of Hong Kong was
consulted on 30 July and he replied on 3 August.
4. Sir M MacLehose returned to the UK on leave on 4 August
and visited London on 9 August for meetings with the Treasury
and to discuss his telegrams on nationality further with
Sir E Norris and myself. My report of that conversation to
the Secretary of State is also attached.
OBJECTIVE OF THE REVIEW
5.
Ministers have not yet decided whether or not to introduce
a Bill in the next Session. That decision is expected to be
taken at the next meeting of GEN 139 to be held between 18 and
/20 September.
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