CONFIDENTIAT
HKK 340/1
RECEIVED
# 51
Mr D Filtor
6 OCT 1977
on
HKGD
:Y
V
ken
Reference....
HKK 340/1
R&R with rill the relo flagged
5/10
Supe
See
yes.
1.
I attach a copy of a letter from Mr Bain in Hong Kong who in the context of the Green Paper on British Nationality, asks for information about "rights of entry to Britain" enjoyed by Gibraltarians.
2. A full explanation of these "rights" and why they came into existence was given in Mr Smedley's minute of 27 July to Mr Stewart. In his minute of 23 June (to which Mr Smedley's minute replied), Mr Stewart envisaged that letters would be sent to the Governor' of Hong Kong and to Mr Davies. I assume that in whatever was eventually sent to Hong Kong some, if not all, of the information in Mr Smedley's minute was transmitted. h this event we may risk crossing wires or even duplicating information already available in Hong Kong
if we were to reply to Mr Brain. In any case it seems more approp- riate for a reply to issue from your department.
3. Mr Brain's enquiry clearly calls for an explanation not only. of Gibraltar's position in the EEC (para 2 of Mr Smedley's minute) but also of the special administrative arrangements for Gibraltarians regarding entry into the UK (paras 5 and 6). In explaining these arrangements Mr Brain should be given the background (para 6) and asked to treat the subject with care. SED would be happy to comment on any draft reply.
LS
RC
43
CODE 18 - 77
NT
RES,
cc. Mr D Amy NTD (with encs)
Mr David
as
dosend
J D Sawyer
Southern European Department
4
October 1977
It is not at all clear whether & Blain is writing in a pesonal capacity (either because he is, possibly, himself a Gibraltarian or, more likely, because he and his friends are worried that the Gibraltarians are getting privilege Wennel they Hong Kong citizens do not enjoy) or in an official capacity at first sight, it is not clear why the Security Brunch of the Colonial Secretariat should have a legitimate official interest - the subject. I suggest that we should couse our reply through whoever does have a legitimate interest in nationality questions. Wh5/10
CONFIDENTIAL
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