SECRET
FM HONG KONG
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 956
OF 191110OZ MARCH 90
SECRET
iHas
34014
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
23 MAY 1990
PA
REGISTHY Action Taken
DESK OFFICEN
INDEX
207)
077052
MDLIAN 7383
PERSONAL FOR MCLAREN, AUSS FROM GOVERNOR
(199)
YRTELNO 576: UK NATIONALITY PACKAGE
1. THANK YOU FOR THIS BACKGROUND INFORMATION. THERE DOES INDEED SEEM TO HAVE BEEN A GOOD DEAL OF MISUNDERSTANDING IN TERMS OF WHAT THE HOME OFFICE THOUGHT HONG KONG ALREADY KNEW AND ACCEPTED ABOUT THE ROLE WHICH WOULD BE GIVEN TO THE GOVERNOR IN THE DRAFT
LEGISLATION.
2. I HAVE NOW SEEN A COPY OF THE DRAFT BILL WHICH ANTHONY LANGDON BROUGHT WITH HIM. I WAS NOT PREVIOUSLY AWARE OF THE WAY IN WHICH THE LEGISLATION WOULD LAY ON THE GOVERNOR THE RESPONSIBILITY OF
SUBMITTING A SCHEME TO THE SECRETARY OF STATE WHICH WOULD THEN BE
MODIFIED IF NECESSARY, BUT ONLY AFTER CONSULTING THE GOVERNOR. NOR HAD DONALD TSANG REGISTERED THIS POINT AS A RESULT OF HIS MORE
DETAILED DISCUSSIONS WITH THE HOME OFFICE IN JANUARY.
3. ANTHONY LANGDON HAS SHOWN ME A MINUTE FROM THE HOME SECRETARY OF
11 JANUARY AND THE REPLY BY THE FOREIGN SECRETARY. THESE TWO DOCUMENTS SEEM TO BE THE BASIS OF THE HOME OFFICE BELIEF THAT I KNEW, AND WAS CONTENT WITH, WHAT WAS BEING PROPOSED.
4. I HAVE BEEN PERFECTLY CONTENT TO HAVE HONG KONG OFFICIALS WORK
OUT THE DETAILS OF A RECOMMENDATION TO LONDON. I WOULD ALSO HAVE
BEEN HAPPY TO ACKNOWLEDGE PUBLICLY THE AUTHORSHIP OF SUCH A SCHEME.
5. THE PROBLEM WE NOW HAVE TO FACE IS THAT THE SCHEME WHICH WILL BE
PUT TO PARLIAMENT HAS SOME SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES FROM THAT RECOMMENDED BY HONG KONG. I AM DISCUSSING HOW TO HANDLE THIS WITH
MR LLOYD AND ANTHONY LANGDON. THE TWIN OBJECTIVES MUST BE NOT TO DISGUISE THE FACT THAT THE SCHEME HAS BEEN AMENDED BY MINISTERS,
IS THEIR RIGHT: BUT TO TRY ALSO TO LIMIT ATTEMPTS AT WEDGE DRIVING
BETWEEN HONG KONG AND LONDON. THERE WILL INEVITABLY BE MANY QUESTIONS ABOUT WHY CERTAIN GROUPS WERE OMITTED.
6. ALL THIS WILL REQUIRE CAREFUL THOUGHT IN THE CONTEXT OF PR
PAGE
SECRET
1
AS