C
PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION
Head of HKD
Please submit :
a draft Answer & Background
25 JANUARY 1985
to Parliamentary Unit
For WRITTEN ANSWER on
Text of Question:-
before NOON
THURSDAY 24 JAN.
MR IVOR STANBROOK (ORPINGTON): TO ASK THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AND COMMONWELATH AFFAIRS, WHY THE NEW CATEGORY OF BRITISH NATIONALITY (OVERSEAS) IS PROPOSED FOR HONG KONG INSTEAD OF THE EXISTING CATEGORY OF BRITISH OVERSEAS CITIZENSHIP; AND IN WHAT SIGNIFICANT RESPECTS THE FORMER DIFFERS FROM THE LATTER.
We
Mr Richard Luce.
The Government believed that the circumstances of Hong Kong are unique and should be reflected in a
unique status. There are also reasons why British
Overseas citizenship would not be an "appropriate
status" within the terms of the UK Memorandum.
example, British Overseas citizenship may be
acquired at any time by registration, but the UK
Memorandum imposes time limits on the acquisition
of the new status.
For
Skill
under devaster
considerarion,
and will
be
The benefits to be accorded to holders of the
proposed new status of "British National (Overseas)"
are/subject to parliamentary approval. The
Government intends, however, that they should be
broadly the same as those enjoyed by British
Dependent Territories citizens, except for
transmissibility, This means that there are
unlikely to be major differences under UK law in
the benefits enjoyed by holders of the proposed
British National (Overseas) status and the
existing British Overseas citizenship.
Rute Zme
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