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B
Government), any change in the financial arrangements
would not be easily understood in Hong Kong.
Given the
present sensitivity of the people of Hong Kong in matters
relating to nationality and passports, this could be seen
as another ploy by the United Kingdom to override
Hong Kong interests.
8.
A case was therefore made to the Treasury that the
financial arrangements relating to passports issued by
the Governor as agent for the Secretary of State should
be as close as possible to the existing arrangements in
Hong Kong, namely that the Hong Kong Government should
pay for blank passports ordered, that they should meet
all the administrative costs of maintaining and operating
the Passport Section of their Immigration Department, and
that they should retain any surplus of the consular fees
collected. In their letter of 10 March the Treasury have
agreed to this proposal. The Hong Kong Government had
already intimated that this type of arrangement would be
acceptable to them and indeed is the one which they would
prefer. They fully understand that the consular fee they
will be required to charge for passports issued under the
Secretary of State's authority may be lower than that which
is charged for passports issued in Hong Kong in the
Governor's own exercise of the royal prerogative.
9.
It will be for the Government of Hong Kong to continue
setting the fee for passports they issue before 1 July 1997
to BDTCs. Such passports will continue to be issued in
the Governor's exercise of the royal prerogative. They
will have a maximum validity to 30 June 1997. From
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/1 July 1997