The Council's second request was that former servicemen in Hong Kong who served in the Second World War should be granted British citizenship. The number involved
is about 270. In view of the particular service given by these servicemen, the Government will meet the spirit of this request. It is not possible under the British Nationality Act 1981 to confer British citizenship on all these servicemen regardless of the nature of their service or their present citizenship. But I will consider
sympathetically applications for registration as British citizens under section 4(5) of the British Nationality Act 1981 from any serviceman who served in the defence of Hong Kong in the Second World War who is eligible under this provision because he is a British Dependent Territories citizen or other British national and who served under the Government of Hong Kong, for example in the Hong Kong Volunteers. The number who might be eligible is likely to be about 60. I am also ready from today to accept and grant any application from any former serviceman in Hong Kong who served in its defence in the Second World War together with their dependants who wish to come to the United Kingdom for settlement.
We
The Council's third request was that those British Dependent Territories citizens who were not ethnically Chinese should be granted British citizenship rather than British Overseas citizenship if after 1 July 1997 they would otherwise be stateless. There are at present about 11,500 British Dependent Territories citizens who might be affected by this provision. The Government has carefully considered all the
arguments put forward in support of this request, but we have concluded that the
granting of British citizenship is not justified in the present circumstances. are satisfied that we shall be able properly to meet the needs of these citizens, their children and their grandchildren for an accepted citizenship status and for a place to call their home, through the guarantees of right of abode in Hong Kong provided in the Agreement with the People's Republic of China, and through the provision of British Overseas citizenship status for any who would otherwise be stateless. British citizenship would not strengthen the position of these communities in Hong Kong and would unnecessarily present the United Kingdom with a sizeable and uncertain immigration commitment stretching into the next century.
We believe our response to the Legislative Council has demonstrated the importance
we attach to the views expressed by the Council and that, as a result, the nationality
provisions for Hong Kong have been clarified and improved. We believe it would be
right now to put in place the nationality provisions which have been extensively
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