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CONFIDENTIAL
BILL?
HMG are committed to ratifying the agreement
June before 30
1985. The Bill must be enacted by parliament before this. It is not possible in this short time to consider and put forward
for debate all the detailed amendments to nationality
legislation that will be required. For this reason the Bill
only contains an enabling power for
subsequent Order ог
Orders in Council in which these amendments will be made.
STATELESSNESS
My Rt hon and learned Friend
this area.
It is our
Friend stated clearly our intentions in
intention that no British national, nor
any child born on ог after 1 July 1997 to a British national,
should be made stateless as a result of the arrangements
envisaged in the Bill. It is intended that such persons should acquire British Overseas Citizenship.
HMG DOING TOO MUCH FOR HONG KONG?
Many Hong Kong people attach very great importance to being eligible to retain their British
national status.
Clear
as sur ances have already been provided on this point in the UK Memorandum. This represents a political commitment which HMG
are bound to uphold.
INCLUDE IN BILL EXPLICIT STATEMENT OF NO RIGHT OF ABODE IN UK?
This is quite unnecessary. The UK Memorandum makes it clear that the new form of nationality will not carry with it the right of abode in the UK. To include this in legislation would
be taken as
Moreover, a gratuitous insult in Hong Kong.
the
in the Bill as drafted could not subsequently be used to
powers
CONFIDENTIAL