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We have fully met undertakings we gave during passage of the Hong Kong Act, that no former BDTC, nor any children born after 30 June 1997 to such a person, would become stateless as a result of the Joint Declaration.
Of course we recognise that there is some continuing concern amoug the ethnic minority BDTCs in Hong Kong. That is why I am happy to repeat our assurance that we should consider it an obligation upon any future government to treat with very considerable and particular sympathy the case for admission to the UK of any individual British national who, against all our expectations, came under pressure to leave Hong Kong. This is a very clear assurance to the members of the minority community in Hong Kong.
5. Acceptance of BN (0) passports by third countries
The Government recognise that this has been a continuing major concern in Hong Kong and in the House. In accordance with the undertaking which we gave during the debates on Hong Kong Nationality Order in Council in 1986, we mounted a major worldwide diplomatic exercise before the introduction of the passport on 1 July 1987 to explain new status and passport to third countries. are confident that this exercise has successfully clarified the issue to third countries.
We
The passport has now been in circulation for nearly a year. 22,000 people are already travelling on it without encountering problems. If anyone were to encounter difficulties, we would act
quickly to ensure these were resolved.
It is true that the majority of passport applicants in Hong Kong still prefer the BDTC passport. But this is understandable and I do not regard it as at all discouraging. We are confident that rate of applications for BN (0) passports will gradually increase as people come to recognise what a very useful document it is. It extends beyond 1997, unlike the Hong Kong BDTC passports which are now being issued with an increasingly limited validity and a final expiry date of 30 June 1997.
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