184
Entes
CONFIDENTIAL
HIR 3401l
MEETING BETWEEN THE FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTÍL SECRETARY" "AND THE MINISTER OF STATE AT THE HOME OFFICE ON 25 MARCH MOB 17?!
NATIONALITY BILL
Present
OZOK OFACER INDEX
مسلى
PA
AC
2 15.4
fais Isly
The Rt Hon The Lord Carrington
KCMG MC
Mr Richard Luce MP
Mr Alan Donald CMG
Mr Timothy Raison MP
(Minister of State, Home Office)
Mr Philip Woodfield CB CBE (Deputy Under-Secretary,
Home Office)
Mr James Adams CMG
Mr R MJ Lyne
1.
See (220
Lord Carrington said that he was grateful to the Home Office for the changes made in the Nationality Bill following representations from himself and the Governor of Hong Kong. During his visit to Hong Kong he did not of course intend to give any indication of the sort of numbers of Hong Kong citizens who might now become eligible for admission to the United Kingdom under the Home Secretary's discretionary power. Mr Raison said that having conceded the points requested by the Governor, the Home Office wished to stress that the Home Secretary's discretion would be for use very sparingly and only in special cases. This was not to be seen as a blanket provision which would, for example, allow large numbers of Crown Servants from Hong Kong to spend their retirement years in the United Kingdom.
2.
Lord Carrington said that the Governor had explained his reasons for seeking an amendment to the Bill solely in terms of the potential vulnerability of former senior Crown Servants in the hypothetical circumstances of a Chinese administration in Hong Kong. Mr Raison said Sir Murray MacLehose had expressed himself in slightly different terms at the Home Office, which had given rise to anxiety. The Governor had spoken of the possibility that five or ten thousand people might wish to come here from Hong Kong in such circumstances. Mr Donald said that we were talking of a situation which the Governor did not expect to arise. The important point was that the Nationality Bill, as drafted, appeared to shut the door completely against Crown Servants in Hong Kong, whereas the proposed amendment would leave it fractionally ajar and thereby inspire greater confidence.
3. Lord Carrington said that he would speak to the Governor to ensure that there was no misunderstanding. Mr Raison suggested that it would be useful for the Home Secretary to write to Sir Murray with the purpose of setting the position out for the record.
4. Following a short discussion, it was agreed that such a letter might be useful at the appropriate time; but that it was important that it should not reopen the argument in Hong Kong, and give rise to further anxiety there. In the meantime, Lord Carrington would
/speak
CONFIDENTIAL