·
Sir E Youde
Youd
AKK 340|1
зна
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY NO. 51
035
DESK OFFICER INDEX
PA
REQISM Action Taken
Aw36
Secretary of Stak
NEW NATIONALITY LEGISLATION: CALL ON THE SECRETARY OF STATE BY HONG KONG UNOFFICIALS (2 FEBRUARY 1981 AT 10.00 AM)
Problem
See
39
+143
1. Sir S Y Chung and Mr O V Cheung are likely to press the
Secretary of State for amendment to the Nationality Bill to
provide for naturalisation to British citizenship of Hong Kong
locally-engaged government employees and Unofficial Members of
the Executive and Legislative Councils.
Recommendation
2. I recommend that the Secretary of State should speak on the
lines of the attached Points to Make. Mr Adams and NTD agree.
Background
3.
4.
Separate briefing is being provided on other points.
Since the first Immigration Act in 1962, most Hong Kong resi-
dents have not had right of entry to the United Kingdom. The new
Nationality Bill does not alter this essential point but, by
removing unitary citizenship, it has focussed the minds of Hong
Kong people on their uncertainty about the future of the Territory.
Senior Chinese civil servants and Unofficials see themselves as
particularly exposed in the event of a Chinese take-over.
5. The Hong Kong Government originally saw a way out in
Paragraph 70 of the White Paper which was taken to give discretion
to the Home Secretary to grant naturalisation to Crown Servants no
matter where they were employed. In fact, this section, though
loosely worded, was intended to apply to Crown Servants directly
employed by HMG in the United Kingdom. Schedule 1, Paragraph 1(3)
of the draft Bill makes clear that locally-engaged employees in
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