ÇA5.1
administration of the scheme will be in the hands of
the Governor of Hong Kong, subject to the requirements that Parliament approve.
The Bill will be brought forward for its
reading in the House of Commons on
Thursday 19 April.
second
Clauses of the Bill
Clause 1 (with Schedules 1 and 2) gives the
Home Secretary power to register as British citizens,
by 30 June 1997, up to 50,000 Hong Kong residents
recommended by the Governor of Hong Kong under a
selection scheme to be approved by Parliament. The Clause also provides for the registration of spouses
and children under 18.
Clause 2 provides that persons who are registered
after being recommended under the selection scheme will be British citizens "otherwise than by descent",
as defined in the British Nationality Act 1981. This
means that they can transmit British citizenship to their children. Their spouses and minor children will be citizens "by descent" (which means they cannot
transmit citizenship) unless the children are born in the UK. The Clause also provides for persons who are British Dependent Territories citizens to lose that status when they are registered under the Bill.
Clause 3 enables the Governor by regulations to lay
down procedures for the scheme and to charge
application and registration fees. It also enables him to delegate certain functions under the Bill to designated public officials. The Clause also provides
for the appointment of a committee
a
Governor.
to advise the
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