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CONFIDENTIAL
last week's Ministerial meeting
Mr. Clift, Hong Kong and General Department,
NATIONALITY BILL:
NOMENCLATURE
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198
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1. Many thanks for sending me a copy of your minute of 7 August. My only comment at this stage is on timing, on which you touch in paragraph 3 of your minute.
2. I was not present at last week's meeting when the Lord Privy Seal and Mr. Luce saw Mr. Whitelaw. I gather that there was some discussion of the probable need for some movement to satisfy Hong Kong if it proves politically impossible to reverse the Gibraltar amendment, or to withstand the Falkland Island amendment which is almost bound to be presented at report stage in October. From what I have heard, Mr. Whitelaw felt that Hong Kong had already been given more concessions than any other dependency, and he was not sympathetic to doing anything more.
3. Despite this understandable reaction, I personally think that Home Office thinking is likely to undergo fairly radical changes on a number of important issues once the final stages of the Bill are reached. A lot of skittles may fall then in the interest of saving the Bill. I do not think, however, that it would be in. your Department's interest to exert premature pressure in this direction. My own view is that we should have an office meeting some time in the week beginning Monday 14 September (when Mr. Jones return from leave) with a view to concerting our approach to the Home Office on all the issues involved in the final stages of the Bill in the Lords and Commons in October. The Home Office will be in a much more realistic frame of mind then,
4. All this is, therefore, is a plea for continuing the period of 'deep reflection' until the second half of September. With respect, it would be counter-productive if the Governor and Hong Kong officials generally started to 'thrash about' until we have had a chance of reviewing the situation. As I say, this cannot now happen until a few weeks before Parliament resumes.
5.
Let us have a word in advance of Mr. Ridley's meeting on 25 August.
Vanes
W.J. Adamb
10 August 1981
Copies to:
Mr. Donald o.r.
Mr. Howells/Mr. Paterson, NTD
Mr. Payne, MCD
Mr. Daunt, SED
Mr. Deare, WIAD
Miss Brooks, Legal Advisers
Mr. McLaren, FED