CONFIDENTIAL
9. On 17 June 1968, the then Attorney-General announced that HMG were declaring invalid Southern Rhodesia passports but retain- ing the power to issue in their place United Kingdom passports when there were special reasons for doing so. His statement described the categories of people to whom such 'concessionary' UK passports would be issued.
10. Briefly, the passport measures introduced in 1968 are as follows. Concessionary UK passports are issued to Rhodesian citizens where:
a) they are members of a family, one member of which is entitled
to a full UK passport;
b)
there are compassionate grounds for travel (generally visits to relatives and medical treatment);
c) they are political refugees, except people known to be
terrorists;
d) they are students;
cases are approved specifically by the FCO when travel is considered to be 'in the public interest'.
In addition, all Rhodesian citizens ordinarily resident outside Rhodesia are automatically eligible for 12-month passports.
We
11. The overwhelming majority of the African population of Rhodesia have only Rhodesian citizenship. A substantial number of Europeans are in the same position but many enjoy some other citizenship as well or instead (UK, South African, German, Portuguese etc). believe that as many as 150,000 may be eligible for full United Kingdom passports, as may a number of the Asian and coloured communities, which total 10,000 and 20,000 respectively.
in
12. The UNHCR representative in London has recently suggested, response to complaints from the Patriotic Front about the conces- sionary passport system, that Conventional Travel Documents might more adequately meet the needs of Rhodesian refugees than a con- cessionary passport. Our response to this claim is set out in the "defensive points" for use under Item 6 in the main part of this brief.
13.
The practice of issuing concessionary passports already involves a generous interpretation of our limited discretionary powers. Passport issuing officers interpret the rules for the issue of concessionary passports as sympathetically as possible and we are always willing to re-examine individual cases if necessary.
14. Concessionary passport applicants are required to furnish proof of their Rhodesian citizenship in the same way as applicants for full United Kingdom passports are required to substantiate their claim to United Kingdom citizenship. We are not discriminating against Rhodesians by requiring such proof. We have no legal obligation to issue United Kingdom passports to anyone. Passports are issued at the discretion of the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs exercising the Royal Prerogative.
15.
Concessionary passports do not themselves give the holder the right of entry to the UK, because this right is determined not by the form of passport but by the holder's status under the
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