APPENDIX A
COMMENTS ON THE GREEN PAPER SENT IN BY THE P LIC AND REPRESENTATIVE ORGANISATIONS
1. Up to date over 400 letters have been received from members of the public and interested bodies. Some of the correspondents have published their comments. All the suggestions were carefully considered before the proposals in this paper were formulated. The more important ones are mentioned below, with some further comments by the Government.
Two Citizenships
2. Most correspondents were in favour of a citizenship for those connected with the United Kingdom. A few correspondents advocated a single British Citizenship, with a right of entry to the United Kingdom for everyone who is at present a Citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies; but there was more general support for the idea of two citizenships on the lines suggested in the Green Paper.
3. There were different opinions, however, as to where the boundaries of British Citizenship should be drawn, and appreciable support for the view that those Citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies who have no ties with, or right of entry to, the United Kingdom or an existing dependency-in particular those United Kingdom passport holders in East Africa and India-should become British Citizens rather than British Overseas Citizens. British Overseas Citizenship in this context was seen as a second class citizenship, and concern was expressed that some children of British Overseas Citizens might be stateless.
4. Some correspondents were in favour of separate citizenships for the dependencies, rather than having a common British Citizenship on the lines described in the Green Paper. It will be seen from paragraphs 15 and 16 of the White Paper that, in view of the strength of feelings expressed by correspondents, and the colonies themselves, it is now proposed that there should be a separate Citizenship of the British Dependent Territories in addition to British Citizenship and British Overseas Citizenship.
Terminology
5. There were several interesting suggestions for the use of different termin- ology, such as 'United Kingdom Citizen' rather than British Citizen, and 'British National (citizen of the relevant dependency)' instead of British Overseas Citizen.
Allegations of Discrimination on Racial Grounds
6. It was alleged by some correspondents that the ideas in the Green Paper discriminated between Citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies on grounds of race; but this is not so. The proposal was that everyone born in this country, irrespective of the colour, race or nationality of the parents, would become British Citizens automatically, as would those people who had acquired Citizen- ship of the United Kingdom and Colonies by naturalisation or registration here.
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And a person born abroad would have British Citizenship automatically, with theht of entry to this country, if the father or mother was a British Citizen by bath or naturalisation etc. in this country.
Transmission of Citizenship by Women
7. There was general agreement with the Government's view that women should have the right to transmit their British Citizenship to children born abroad on the same terms as men.
Transmission of Citizenship Beyond the First Generation
8. There has been a large amount of correspondence, both from individuals living abroad, and from people representing British firms overseas, about the transmission of citizenship. Without exception, they were in favour of citizenship passing beyond the first generation born abroad, perhaps by consular registration, if there were close ties with this country or special circumstances, such as the parents being in Crown Service or working for international organisations at the time of the birth. Paragraphs 56 and 57 of the White Paper set out the special arrangements proposed for such people.
Citizenship by Marriage
9. There was also general agreement that men and women should be treated equally in the matter of acquiring their spouse's British Citizenship, but there was no consensus of opinion on which of the four options for achieving this as set out in the Green Paper should be adopted.
Naturalisation
10. It was generally felt that the language test should be retained but admin- istered flexibly where the situation merits this, as in the case of elderly people. Opinion was divided on the suggestion that objective tests of character might be substituted for the present subjective assessment. Associations representing the ethnic minorities favoured objective tests, and a right of appeal against refusal of naturalisation.
Dual Nationality
11. Comment on the ideas put forward on dual nationality was divided, many correspondents being in favour of there being no bar to the holding of more than one citizenship. Nearly all the comments received from people living abroad were opposed to any restriction on dual nationality.
Citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies From Overseas Now Living in the United Kingdom
12. The suggestion in the Green Paper (paragraph 21) that those Citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies from overseas who are now resident here should, in general, be granted British Citizenship because, for the most part,
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