CONFIDENTIAL
HKK 040/4.
11 AR MOS
7/3/2
157
PS/ME WCO Murste
Lace
FROM: A C Galsworthy, HKD
DATE:
7 March 1985
HONG KONG BILL:
Cc:
PS/Lady Young
Dr Wilson
Mr Burrows, Legal Advisers
Mr Grainger, Legal Advisers
Miss Veale, NTD
TRANSMISSIBILITY OF BOC STATUS
1.
We need to agree with the Home Office a line on the
transmissibility of BOC status to the descendants of non-Chinese
former BDTCs in Hong Kong, if possible before the Committee Stage of
the Hong Kong Bill in the House of Lords on 14 March. We understand
that an amendment to the Bill will be proposed in the Lords by
Baroness Vickers with the support of the Bishop of Birmingham
not yet seen
Lady Young suggested to
it.
on
this point, though we
we have
me that such an amendment might conceivably be carried in the Lords.
Since there
would be considerable sympathy for it in the Commons,
this could cause us a lot of trouble.
2. We have already agreed to grant BOC status automatically to:
a) those non-Chinese BDTCs in Hong Kong who do not acquire BN(0)
status
and
1 July 1997 and would otherwise be stateless;
b) the first generation of children born after 1 July 1997 to
non-Chinese former BDTCs who would otherwise be stateless.
A
22
3.
We have been pressed by EXCO to grant ВОС status to the second
generation of such people. There has also been parliamentary
pressure to give a fair deal to
further generations.
Mr Luce took
CONFIDENTIAL