Home Secretary
CONFIDENTIAL
076
HONG KONG ASSURANCES: LEGISLATION
Issu
نفة
Thank you for copying to me your minute of 27 March to the Douglas Hurd Prime Minister.
Declaration.
I am strongly of the view that the Bill should retain the
provision that recipients of British citizenship under the Scheme
should loose their BDTC status. As you rightly point out, without such a provision, the Chinese would argue that we were in breach of the undertaking in the UK Memorandum associated with the Joint
That would significantly enhance their ability to attack the nationality package, with adverse consequences for confidence in Hong Kong.
It might also caure confusion in Hong Kong it
there would be suggestions. beneficiaries under our package were to remain BDTCS, that the citizenship we were conferring was somehow different form "normal" &nlich citizenship.
Retention of Clause 2(2) in the Bill would enable us to
would maintain to the Chinese that beneficiaries from the nationality package were not covered by the terms of the UK Memorandum, since
they are not persons who will be BDTCs on 30 June 1997; and that the relevant paragraph of the UK Memorandum says nothing about right to confer British nationality on BDTCS, or anyone else with a
with
connection to Hong Kong, before the period/1997.
Secondly, I agree with your proposal to incorporate journalists and news editors into the category of information services". also also agree with the reinstatement of the Health Associate Professionals group.
The arguments in both cases are strong.
I am minuting to you separately on the question of the Approved Secondment Scheme.
offermenters of °°
Copies of this minute go/to, OD (K) colleagues, the Attorney General and Sir Robin Butler,
HAGAAP
Douglas Hurd
CONFIDENTIAL