CONFIDENTIAL
"SCHEDULE STAND PART"
NATIONALITY
INTRODUCTION
My Lords we have had a very full debate on the nationality
provisions of the Bill.
The purpose of paragraph two of the Schedule to the Bill is
to enable the Government to make the nationality provisions necessary as a consequence of the UK ceasing to have sovereignty or jurisdiction over Hong Kong on 1 July 1997.
The paragraph enables a subsequent Order or Orders in
Council to be made to ensure that British Dependent
Territories citizenship cannot be retained or acquired on
or after 1 July 1997 by virtue of a connection with Hong
Kong and to create a new form of British nationality that
may be acquired before that date by persons who are BDTCs
by virtue of such a connection. It is intended that the new form of nationality should be known as British National
(Overseas).
wa s not easy
to devise a title which meets all the
necessary requirements. On the one hand it needs to make
CONFIDENTIAL