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Mr Cortazzi
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GOY NO. 51
20 APR 1978
DESK OFFICER
INDEX
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to aw по
REGISTRY Action Take
CONSERVATIVE PARTY POLICY ON DEPENDENT TERRITORIES
Flag A (2) 1.
Flag B
HKC 340/1 1977
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In your minute of 5 April you requested background informa- tion about nationality legislation and the Dependencies in the light of last year's Green Paper.
2. I attach a copy of a report on the consequences for the UK's international relations of the proposals in the Green Paper. This report was produced just before the publication of the Green Paper by a mixed group of Ministers and officials. The first section discusses the problems which were seen in relation to Dependent Territories. Since the Green Paper was published there have been significant reactions only from Hong Kong and Gibraltar among the Dependent Territories.
3.
Hong Kong's chief concern was the implications in the Green Paper for the people of the Territory viewed against the background of the expiry in 1997 of the lease on the New Territories. The implementation of the proposals would be taking place at a particularly difficult period in Hong Kong's constitutional history. Any indication that the link between the Colony and Britain might be weakening could have a grave effect on financial confidence at a time when many important investment decisions would need to be made. Hong Kong have promised to prepare a detailed report giving their views on the Green Paper. This is still awaited.
MAMA
GMG
4. We estimate the total number of British subjects in Hong Kong at about 2.6 m. Only a small minority, however probably not more than 60,000 at most have a right of entry to the UK. This situation will not be substantially affected in any way by the proposals in the Green Paper: nobody who now enjoys right of entry will have it taken away from him, nor will the right now be given to anybody who does not already enjoy it. (There might be a handful of exceptions to these statements, in the case of people caught by some of the small print of the new rules e.g. citizens of Commonwealth countries whose mothers were born in the UK, will lose their present right of entry but these will not be genuine Hong Kong belongers.)
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5. In Gibraltar there were strong reactions against the idea that Gibraltarians might become "British Overseas Citizens" But the special arrangements by which Gibraltarians may enter the UK stem from the Spanish restrictions on the territory and would not be affected by proposals in the Green Paper. Their continuance is related solely to the existence of those restrictions Additionally, Gibraltarians benefit from the freedom of movement provisions of the EEC Treaties which were extended to Gibraltar upon British membership.
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