DRAFT LETTER
ADDRESSEE'S REFERENCE
FILE NUMBER
TO
ENCLOSURES
COPIES TO BE SENT TO
The Rt Hon Roy Hattersley MP
House of Commons
Copy of note on
new clause
Copies (with enc)
LONDON
SW1A OAA
(FULL POSTAL ADDRESS)
Other members of Standing Committee
F (list attached).
Mr Boys-Smith
Mr Woodfield
Mr Hilary
Mr Pakenham-Walsh
Mr Addison
Mrs Evans
Mr Coles
Mr Jones FCO
Mr Ingman
Mr Grant
Mr Daly
(FULL ADDRESSES, IF NECESSARY)
Mr Raison
(NAME OF SIGNATORY)
LETTER DRAFTED FOR SIGNATURE BY
BRITISH NATIONALITY BILL: GOVERNMENT AMENDMENTS
You will see on tomorrow's order paper that the Government has put
down further amendments to this Bill, Since these affect parts of
the Bill which we may well reach very shortly, I thought it would be
helpful if I provided some information now about these amendments
for you,
and for the other members of the Committee to whom I am
copying this letter.
H.O. EST. 112
The main amendment is a new clause which would enable citizens of the
British Dependent Territories, British Overseas citizens, British
subjects under the Bill, and British protected persons to have an
entitlement to British citizenship after completing 5 years residence
in the United Kingdom, provided they do not exceed certain specified
periods of absence from the United Kingdom during the qualifying period, and provided they are free of restrictions on their stay at the time of their application. The Home Secretary would also have discretion to register under this provision, in the special circum- stances of a particular case, anyone holding these statuses, who has at any time served in Crown or closely related service under the government of a dependent territory. Further details of this new clause are given in the attached note.
Bas 56629/408 80m 6/79 TP
I