1573
British Nationaluy (Hong Kong | Bill
19 APRIL 1990
British Nationality (Hong Kong) Bill
1574
C
Ar. Waddington /
those services in proportion to their staff numbers. Applicants will be assessed on a points system. similar to that already described but adjusted to take account of the needs of each service.
Mr. Ron Leighton (Newham. North-East): Is the Home Secretary aware that Donaid Tsang, the chief administra- tor of Hong Kong, has estimated that 750.000 people will apply for passports-15 times as many as the number of passports available under the scheme? Will not that have a very destabilising effect on Hong Kong!
Mr. Waddington: I have made this point already, and ! do not think that it needs repeating. The fact remains that the selection of 50.000 key personnel who are essential to the good government of Hong Kong and the management of its economy will stabilise Hong Kong, keep it prosperous and thus provide an incentive for the rest of the people to stay.
Finally, the sensitive services section will provide for people who, as a consequence of service to Hong Kong or United Kingdom interests in either a civilian or military role, would be especially vulneranie or exposed after 1997.
This is a scheme for key workers, not for a wealthy and influential elite. It makes provision for teachers, doctors. nurses. engineers. computer programmers. accountants. business managers. civil servants, policemen and the like. and reactions in Hong Kong so far lend no credence to the claim that it is considered elitist or divisive there. It is-as the night hon. Member for Bethnal Green and Stepney (Mr. Shore) wisely said yesterday-selective, and that is its object. It is seen in Hong Kong as a scheme that will contribute to the stability and prosperity of the terntory. and will therefore benefit the community as a whole.
control, but a check would be kept of those who left Hong Kong with British passports. I think that that meets my hon. Friend's point.
Mr. Ted Rowlands (Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney): The Home Secretary has not touched on the context of the measure and, in particular, the recommendation of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee that it should be seen in an internationai context. What developments have taken place in his touting for support from other European countries, and especiaily from the United States?
Mr. Waddington: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary will deal with that at length in his final speech. so I shall leave it to him.
C Mr. Paul Channon (Southend. West): My right hon.
There are two other groups of people whom I should mention and about whom I was questioned a few moments ago-who are not covered by the Bill but for whom I believe some provision must be made. I refer to the widows and widowers of British citizens who were resident in Hong Kong. I am prepared to offer an assurance that they will be allowed to come nere if they are still resident in Hong Kong, have not the cruzenship of another country and have not remarried. They would, of course, have been able to come here anyway under the immigration rules during the lifetimes of their spouses. In accordance with the recommendations of the Select Committee on Foreign Affairs. the same assurance wil extend to the widows of former service men who served in defence of Hong Kong during the second world war under the Government of Hong Kong, and they will be able to come here irrespective of the husband's nationality.
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Mr. Marlow: My right hon. and learned Friend has said that the objective of the measure is to enable people to stay in Hong Kong, but if people have British passports when they come into Britain the fact is not registered. How will we know how many of those 20.000—or 225.000—actually come to reside here? How will we know how successful my right hon. and learned Friend's prediction has been?
Mr. Waddington: The Hong Kong authorities keep a careful check on people who leave Hong Kong and are absent for more than six montns. Obviousiy, if a person is granted British citizenship he is not liable to immigration
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and learned Friend has not dealt with the question about the non-United Kingdom spouses of British citizens. Unless something is done, they will be in the curious position of being treated worse than the Hong Kong spouses of Hong Kong citizens are at present. Their numbers are very smail. Will my right hon. and learned Friend say a word about that?
Mr. Waddington: There is no difficulty, provided that their husbands are still alive. Wives of British citizens will have an absolute right to come here under the immigration rules. The problem arises in the case of those who are widowed, and who have therefore lost their opportunity to come here uncer the immigration rules.
My right hon. Friend seems worned by my reply, so I shall let him have another go.
Mr. Channon: I am sorry to interrupt my right hon. and learned Friend again, but may I ask him to check the position carefully? I understand that spouses must have three years' residence here. That entirely defeats the object of the Bill, as it means that families will have to leave Hong Kong rather than being encouraged to stay.
Mr. Waddington: With respect. my right hon. Friend is confusing two separate matters. Spouses will have an absolute right to enter the country, although three years residence will be required after that for them to obtain British citizenship. They will not need British citizenship to have the assurance that they can come here at any time during the lifetime of their spouses. The difficulty arises only if they are widowed, and that is why I am making special provision for people in such circumstances.
In conclusion, I should refer to suggestions that the Bill either betrays the Government's lack of confidence in the joint declarauon or will reinforce uncertainty about the future among those not selected. I do not believe that either allegation stands up to scrutiny. It is a fact of life that following the events in China last June, confidence in Hong Kong declined to a low ebb. The Bill is designed to tackle that problem; far from undermining confidence, it wiil bolster it.
As for the Chinese, they have not said anything to suggest that they will fail to honour their side of the joint declaration, and under the terms of the declaration it will be incumbent upon the Chinese Government after 1997 to go on allowing Hong Kong residents with British citizenship to continue to live and work in Hong Kong, and to have free movement in and out of the territory. That is cleariv set out in paragraph 3(4) of the joint deciaration, and in section XIV of annex 1 thereto.