Fu
SECRET
2
Mr Youde
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NATURALISATION IN HONG KONG
1.
The attached letter from the Secretary for Security in Hong Kong is in answer to correspondence last year, in which we suggested that, for presentational reasons in Parliament, it was desirable for the number of naturalisations in Hong Kong to show a general downward trend.
2.
The figures attached with Mr Lloyd's letter show that Hong Kong have in fact achieved this, though largely for extraneous reasons. The figures are not wholly comprehensible. In some years we seem to have approved more applications than were forwarded to us, though this may well have been due to carry-overs.
Alge
Nevertheless, if we are questioned in Parliament, the figures of certificates issued will suffice, and if, as Mr Lloyd suggests, we use the 1 July 30 June figures, they show the right trend. I have written to thank Mr Lloyd and to say that we will use these figures if questions arise in the immediate future, though if we are questioned late in '74 or '75, different base dates might be appropriate.
Mr You
27 February 1974
сс
Mr CP Scott
Mr Rigney, M&VD
Mr Dixon, N&TD
Yoney
1 Your parm
Hassed.
2. Your para 2.
Imcont
Pangs attached
Yes
I agree, What
was that we should
postpone a decision on the hase date until we
(Seret)
Where
ACBL
A C Stuart
Hong Kong & Indian Ocean Dept.
Mr Richard 28/2
2.
Tshold like to su the
earlin papers.
I don't think we should change
the base dates once
Jigures hard on them had been made public. there would be more of a stamon revented fiddling than there would
men
an increme
asked about the subject. If the question is first
asked in
ACSL
28/2
1975, the mid-year
base date might show a late
SECRET urge.
in numbers iter
/27/2.
itself.