Our reference: NTY/86 1/387/8
Your reference :
HOME OFFICE
Lunar House, Wellesley Road, CROYDON CR9 2BY
Telephone: 01-760 2832
лук Oh Sati 21/4.
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We have provid
مر
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CO Hum Esq
Hong Kong Department
Foreign & Commonwealth Office
LONDON SW1A 2AH
ний зног 34011
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
22 APR 1986
DESK OFFICER INDEX
PA
REGISTRY Action Taken
See schussin.
Cro' 8/4
18 April 1986
Dear Christopher.
HONG KONG NATIONALITY ORDER: ARRANGED PARLIAMENTARY ANSWER
minute
If we secure collective approval for the proposals in the Home Secretary' $ of 16 April to the Prime Minister, we shall need to move quickly if we are to make the announcement on 23 April. I understand in particular that it will be necessary for you to clear the text of the statement with the Foreign Secretary over the weekend so that you can give it to the Governor in draft on 21 April.
I attach, therefore, a draft Answer. As you will see, we have tried to keep it as short as possible, while at the same time making clear what the requests are and what is our response. We have also incorporated the form of words about the passport endorsement which will need to be quoted in full in the leaflet to accompany each endorsement.
We have not gone into too great length with the arguments about the non-ethnic Chinese minority. These will have to be rehearsed at length in the Parliamentary debates, and we doubt if there is much benefit in developing them in the Answer. We propose also not to include the statement about our expectations if the situation in Hong Kong for the ethnic minorities were to change which you suggested in your letter to Jerry Emery of 2 April. We think this would rather unbalance the statement, and is best kept to the Parliamentary debates.
I should be grateful for any immediate comments you may have on the text of the draft. I am copying this also to colleagues in the Home Office in case they would also wish to comment. If we are to make the weekend box, we shall need to agree the final draft by 2 p.m. today.
Co
Mr Hyde
Mr McDonough Mr Acton
Yous
Zale Myan вра
M LYON
Head of Nationality Division