340/6-340/6.
P/W copy on
REC
{
- 7 OCT 1993
340114
Foreign & Commonwealth Office
London SWIA 2AH
6 October 1993
Rt Hon David Howell
Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee House of Commons
MT NONIOUS.
From The Minister of State
7/10
Mr Mann's
Ms J-J
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Dea David.
When I appeared before the Foreign Affairs Committee at your invitation on 14 July, members raised various questions about the status after 1997 of members of the non-Chinese ethnic minorities in Hong Kong. I undertook to respond after consulting colleagues in the Home Office.
They have
On the question of British citizenship for ethnic minorities, Home Office Ministers have considered the case carefully (including the arguments put forward in debate in the House of Lords debate on 15 July and the points made by the Foreign Affairs Committee itself when I gave evidence). concluded that there are no grounds for changing the Government's long standing policy, and Charles Wardle announced this decision in a Written Answer to a Question from Graham Allen on 26 July. (I enclose a copy for ease of reference).
I
I was asked by Dennis Canavan, in the context of the Government's assurance to members of the non-Chinese ethnic minorities in Hong Kong, to define what criteria might be used when considering individual applications from of this community for entry to the UK. Mr Canavan asked in particular whether discrimination against them would trigger the sympathetic consideration of application to come to the UK. would be grateful if you would let Mr Canavan and other members of the Committee know that I put Mr Canavan's request to Charles Wardle at the Home Office. As foreshadowed in my remarks to the Foreign Affairs Committee, the Home Office do not see it as helpful or indeed possible to set out the criteria for a hypothetical situation which we do not expect to arise. In giving the assurance, we have always talked about pressure on members of this group to leave Hong Kong. Whether discrimination amounts to pressure to leave would depend on the nature of the discrimination and on all the circumstances at the time.
Alesta
ALASTAIR GOODLAD
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