138
(139)
mr grift HKGP
Kary
Private Secretary
Ruyl
SECRET
Takei
कील
Secretary
142, Stare
HKK 340/1
RECEIVED ON BOTHAPPY NO. ST
1 6 MAR 1981
DECK OFFICER
INDEX
粮
PA
REGISTRY Action: Taken
NEW NATIONALITY LEGISLATION
1.
HONG KONG
лю
Pão 815
138
+139
Following the Governor's meeting with the Home Secretary on
11 March (my minute of 11 March), Sir M MacLehose together with
(136) FCO officials met Home Office officials today to discuss ways in
which Hong Kong's concerns might be met by amendments to the Bill.
2. The Home Office put forward an outline of the form any agreed
amendments might take. Their inclination is to concentrate on
provisions for registration rather than naturalisation for Citizens
of the British Dependent Territories as well as for British Overseas
Citizens and other categories such as British Protected Persons. This
would be appropriate for points (a), (b) and (c) of the note attached
which are Hong Kong's main concerns.
3. A major concern of the Home Office was to be clear as to the
kind of people who would in practice be seriously considered for
British citizenship through service in a dependency, their numbers
and when they were likely to apply. They thought this desirable
before settling on a provision, to avoid allegations of bad faith.
A further concern was how to defend the Crown Service provision in
Committee or on the floor of the House. They are particularly
worried as to how to explain to the House that registration would
be granted at all, and how to explain to Hong Kong that it would be
granted on a very restricted basis, without being accused of
providing Hong Kong with an empty undertaking. The Governor in fact
sees the latter as no problem. People in Hong Kong were prepared for
a restrictive application by the White Paper which indicated it would
be 'sparingly' granted and would not be an 'emolument'.
The principal
/concern
142)
SECRET