[insert p.6]
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DSR 11C
//3.
issued in Hong Kong to BN(0)s will be in the same format as
those issued at our overseas posts, that they will be issued
under the Secretary of State's exercise of the royal
prerogative and that the Governor of Hong Kong will be
authorised to act as agent for the Secretary of State in this
respect.
7.
Since these fees would be covered by the Consular Fees
Act the Hong Kong Government would not normally be permitted
to retain any part of them. At present passport fees received
by our overseas posts are appropriated-in-aid, but from
Approximately 130,000
1 April 1986 passport fees are to be surrendered to the
Consolidated Fund as extra receipts.
BDTCs passports are issued annually in Hong Kong to British Dependent
Territories citizens. Between 1987 and 1997 an even larger
number of applications for BN (0) passports is expected, since
the acquisition of BN(0) status is dependent on the holding of,
for inclusion in, a passport showing that status. Therefore
the loss to the Hong Kong Government of revenue from passports
would be considerable if proceeds were to be remitted to the
UK Treasury. Moreover, since the administrative arrangements
for the issue of BN (0) passports will be essentially the same
as existing passport-issuing arrangements in Hong Kong (the
work will still in practice be done by members of the Hong
Kong 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 still be seen as another
ploy by the United Kingdom to override Hong Kong interests.
A case was therefore made to the Treasury that the financial
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