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Air Paul.
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CONFIDENTIAL
From the Private Secretary
carland Mr Paul HKD
A PS
PS (Mr Maude Mr Gumore
Mr. McLaren Mr Lidington
13 March 1990
SAK
13/3
10 DOWNING STREET
LONDON SWIA 2AA
HONG KONG ASSURANCES
The Prime Minister has considered the Home Secretary's minute of 12 March about the occupational groups which should be covered by the citizenship scheme for Hong Kong. She dislikes the idea of enlarging the categories any further, but accepts there is a case for restoring that which would cover engineering associate professionals. She is also reluctantly ready to contemplate the creation of a "contingency reserve", with two provisos. First, there should be a strict numerical limit on this category: she suggests certainly no more than 500. Secondly, those who might come within this category should be defined as people with technical qualifications whose continued presence can be demonstrated to the Secretary of State to be essential to the continued successful administration of the territory up to 1997 and who are not included under any other category.
The Prime Minister hopes that on this basis the OD (K) paper can be rapidly concluded with no remaining points of contention and the draft bill finalised for presentation to the House.
I am copying this letter to Stephen Wall (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) and to Sir Robin Butler.
Colin Walters, Esq.,
Home Office.
(CHARLES POWELL)
CONFIDENTIAL