RESTRICTED

31/1/1

(97)

TH

Mr Cakareth (HK)

We spoke

Victalt 1/2

Dr Wilso

PS/M Luce

STRY

6 FEB 1985

In

مدرضا

as mund

Minisver

Private Secretary Sobretary

Greby of Stake.

Issue pse

thur Lace agrees

with

this

recommendation

FROM:

A C GALSWORTHY,

DATE: 30 JANUARY 1985

Cc:

HONG KONG BILL: NEW NATIONALITY TITLE

Sir W Harding

Эпентасты

HKD

Mr Burrows, Legal Advisers

Mr Partridge, NTD

Parliamentary Unit

?!

PROBLEM

1.

To decide whether to insert the new nationality title in the

Schedule to the Hong Kong Bill at the committee stage in the House

of Commons.

RECOMMENDATION

2. I recommend that Parliamentary Counsel be asked to put down a

Government amendment in the Secretary of State's name introducing the title "British National (Overseas)" into paragraph 2(1)(b) of

the Schedule. I submit a draft letter to the Chief Whip's Office.

The Department's Legal Counsellor and Home Office officials concur.

BACKGROUND AND ARGUMENT

3.

The Hong Kong Bill in its present form refers simply to "a

form of British nationality" which would be acquired by BDTCs by virtue of a connection with Hong Kong. In the debate on the Second

Reading of the Bill the Secretary of State was able to announce the

new title after it had been agreed by EXCO and the Chinese

Government. Sir Peter Blaker expressed the opinion in the debate

that any amendment incorporating the title should be introduced in

the Commons and not in the House of Lords as the Secretary of State had suggested in his speech.

RESTRICTED

Share This Page