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CONFIDENTIAL
T
2.01
substance we have been asked to
consider
the
citizen
As to the
possibility of allowing British Dependent Territory (BDTC) applicants for BN (0) status to keep their BDTC passports alongside their BN(0) passports until 30 June 1997. As will be from Annex A, colleagues in the Immigration Service and Passport Agency have reservations about this but given the strong pressure we are now under to make some concession on the BN(0) front we think that we could go along with the idea although we would wish before recommending firmly in favour to look more closely at what is involved.
As to the timing we have aimed throughout to take the BN (0) Order together with the Order making changes to the British Nationality Selection Scheme currently operating in Hong Kong. (The second tranche of the scheme starts in January and the Order is needed before the Recess primarily to make some modifications which will enable the Governor to transfer unused places from one group of applicants to another to ensure they are fully used. It will also make some minor, technical changes.) We have always thought it desirable to have a single debate on these two Hong Kong nationality issues. LegCo's opposition to the BN(0) Order, however, and the need to look at the point about concurrent holding of two different passports means, we think, that we shall have to uncouple them. It would in any event be difficult to lay the BN(0) Order very soon after the meeting with LegCo. Our intention would therefore be to lay the Selection Scheme Order as planned later this week and the BN(0) Order at some point before the Recess so that it can be debated as soon as Parliament resumes in the autumn. The Foreign Office and Hong Kong acknowledge that this uncoupling is probably inevitable now and accept this scenario.
CONFIDENTIAL
2
C J KELLY