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DRAFT LETTER
ADDRESSEE'S REFERENCE
ΤΟ
Sir Paul Bryan MP
House of Commons
FILE NUMBER
ENCLOSURES
COPIES TO BE SENT TO
Miss Kippax
Miss Collins
Mr Hyde
Mrs Littler
Mr Howells (FCO)
(FULL POSTAL ADDRESS)
(FULL ADDRESSES, IF NECESSARY)
ت
S of S
LETTER DRAFTED FOR SIGNATURE BY
H.O. EST. 112
British
(NAME OF SIGNATORY)
107)
In the debate on the Nationality Bill on 27 October I said that I would write to you on the points which you raised about Hong Kong. I thought that a subject of such importance should be dealt with in a letter rather than in the pressure of a debate.
May I say that I fully understand the strength of feeling in Hong Kong for the British connection, which you expounded so clearly? I was glad that you said that you realised that any concern in Hong Kong about the Bill was probably based on a misunderstanding of the very real sense of commitment to Hong Kong which this Government feels. As you know, I have myself underlined in Parliament the importance of that commitment to Her Majesty's Government; and other Ministers have British frequently done the same. The Nationality Bill does not affect Her Majesty's Government's relationship with Hong Kong or the strength of the Government's support for that or any other Dependent Territory.
In your speech you mentioned the undertakings given by Timothy Raison during the Report Stage of the Bill in the Commons. It may be helpful to spell these out again and to confirm that British Dependent Territori citizens will remain United Kingdom nationals in the sense that the United Kingdom will afford consular protection and represent their
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