Mr Ricketts
Good
7. PS/Mr Good lad
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cc M
Mr them.
Maquiter
HKD 340/6
035E Tel & MK
RIGHT OF ABODE IN THE UK FOR CERTAIN CHILDREN OF HONG
KONG PARENTS
1.
48
7314.
As you know we have been pressing the Home Office for some time to give British Citizenship to children born before 1 January 1983 to Hong Kong British parents. We have now received a reply from the Home Secretary to the Secretary of State's minute of 4 August which, although it goes some way to meeting our demands, still falls short of what we would have ideally liked.
2. I believe that we have gone as far as we can on this with the Home Office. It is not realistic now to expect them to agree to give a blanket assurance for all the children concerned. The Home Secretary's letter goes further than they have ever gone before and I suggest that Mr Goodlad tell Dr Leong about the criteria, spelled out in the Home Secretary's letter, for granting these applications for British Nationality. Would it also be possible for Mr Goodlad to ask Dr Leong how many children would be covered by this criteria?
3. I propose that Mr Goodlad should announce the Home Secretary's criteria during his meeting with OMELCO on his forthcoming visit to Hong Kong, subject of course to Dr Leong's views on this.
dl
Woodrow
J Woodrow
Hong Kong Department
2 September 1992
min.rtof.a.BTC
JEB
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