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[Approved secondment scheme
4.21 After discussion with Ms Grimsey, it has been agreed not to include Instructions relating to the approved secondment scheme in the first draft because
(a) the approved secondment scheme can be dealt with in the main scheme since the Bill will enable the scheme to establish quotas for sub-groups within the public and private sectors with their own selection criteria;
(b) if the BNA were to be amended to allow residence in HK to count as residence in the UK for the purposes of section 4, the spouses and dependants of successful applicants would not be able to register as British citizens unless further, and more extensive, surgery were to be made that section. In other words, if the approved secondment scheme were to be a separate legislative item it would provide a lesser form of citizenship than under the Bill;
(c)
there is no point in making separate provision on the face of the Bill for those in approved secondment if those numbers are to count to the overall limit of 50,000. To achieve this, there would be an awkward provision on the face of the Bill which would have the effect of qualifying the overall limit of 50,000 and making it subject to whatever number (would the Act prescribe a maximum?) were registered under the amended section 4.]
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