used, it seems important to restate the Government's
objections in principle to Lord Bruce's amendment. If it
is passed it will then be apparent that Parliament and
not the Government were responsible.
5. The granting of British citizenship to all Falkland
Islanders would undermine a basic concept of BNA 1981,
which identifies the new status 'British citizen' (BC)
with an automatic right of abode in the United Kingdom.
British Dependent Territories citizenship (BDTC) will be
held by those with similarly close ties with one or more
of the dependencies.
6.
Despite strong lobbying from a number of dependent
territories, notably Hong Kong, the FCO has consistently
opposed any legislation which would confer British
citizenship (BC) solely by virtue of a connection with
a dependency. The Government also opposed the amendment
to the Act under which Gibraltarians, while not automati-
cally acquiring BC status, will have the entitlement to
register as BC, but this amendment was finally carried
Section 5 of the Act does not give
in Parliament.
special treatment to Gibraltarians by name, however, but
only in as much as they fall to be treated as UK nationals
for European Community purposes. It can therefore be
defended as unique, being applicable to our only
dependency in Europe. The Falkland Islands have no link
with the European Community to justify special treatment.
7. It is particularly important that the Government
should maintain uniform citizenship (BDTC) for all the
dependencies without exception, distinctive) from British
citizenship
(Be)
zenship/
as enshrined in the Act. Any variation from
this would lead to the position that the Government had
/tacitly
A