ليا
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(d) for the necessary
technical
amendments to the BNA 1981
and other existing statutes.
is appallingly complex,
I t
legislation,
like all nationality
but we and Hong Kong are now satisfied, after
extensive work, that it meets the needs of the situation.
EXCO
5.
incorporated.
The Order and White Paper (which simply provides an
introduction to the Order for the public), have been agreed
with the Hong Kong Government and EXCO. A number of changes
proposed by EXCO to both the White Paper and the Order have
been
The only outstanding difference of
opinion relates to a last minute request by Sir S Y Chung
that we
amend the British Nationality Act 1981 to enable
children of BN (O) s born after 1997 to acquire British
Citizenship if they are born in the UK or British Dependent
erritories Citizenship i f they are
born in a dependent
territory. His justification for this proposal was that the
parents would be BDTCs until 1 July 1997, and were only
deprived of their power to transmit their status because of
Chinese objections. The proposal did not enjoy the general
support of other members of EXCO.
It is clearly
is contrary to the spirit of
on
nationality and hence
unacceptable both because i t
the Exchange of Memoranda
objectionable to the Chinese and because it would drive a
coach and horses through the principles underlying the BNA 1981 by creating a loophole whereby those wealthy enough to
have their children born elsewhere could obtain British
nationality for them.
arliamentary Timetable
6.
Although the Hong Kong Bill was
introduced to Parliament
to be
Ministers undertook
i s
by the Secretary of State, the Order in Council
introduced by the Home Secretary.
during debates on the Hong Kong Bill that the Order would be
made within one year of the passage of the Bill, and that it
would be introduced with "green edges" for preliminary
debate in both houses before being withdrawn, and if
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