XN000022-1981-11-11 — Page 9

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 1981

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THE WRITTEN REPLY BY THE HOME SECRETARY, THE RT HON WILLIAM WHITELAW, WHICH WAS RELEASED BY SIR JACK TODAY IS AS FOLLOWS:

+ IN THE DEBATE ON THE BRITISH NATIONAL ITY BILL ON 27TH OCTOBER I SAID THAT I WOULD WRITE TO YOU ON THE POINTS WHICH YOU RAISED ABOUT HONG KONG.

+MAY I SAY THAT I FULLY UNDERSTAND THE STRENGTH OF FEEL ING IN HONG KONG FOR THE BRITISH CONNECTION, WHICH YOU EXPOUNDED SO CLEARLY? I WAS GLAD THAT YOU SAID THAT YOU REALISED THAT ANY CONCERN IN HONG KONG ABOUT THE BILL WAS PROBABLY BASED ON A MISUNDERSTANDING OF THE VERY REAL SENSE OF COMMITMENT TO HONG KONG WHICH THIS GOVERNMENT FEELS. AS YOU KNOW, I HAVE MYSELF UNDERL INED IN PARLIAMENT THE IMPORTANCE OF THAT COMMITMENT TO HER MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT AND OTHER MINISTERS HAVE FREQUENTLY DONE THE SAME. THE BRITISH NATIONALITY BILL DOES NOT AFFECT HER MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT'S RELATIONSHIP WITH HONG KONG OR THE STRENGTH OF THE GOVERNMENT'S SUPPORT FOR THAT OR ANY OTHER DEPENDENT TERRITORY.

+ IN YOUR SPEECH YOU MENTIONED THE UNDERTAKINGS GIVEN BY TIMOTHY RAISON DURING THE REPORT STAGE OF THE BILL IN THE COMMONS.

IT MAY BE HELPFUL TO SPELL THESE OUT AGAIN AND TO CONFIRM THAT BRITISH DEPENDENT TERRITORIES CITIZENS WILL REMAIN UNITED KINGDOM NATIONALS IN THE SENSE THAT THE UNITED KINGDOM WILL AFFORD CONSULAR PROTECTION AND REPRESENT THE IR INTERESTS INTERNATIONALLY. THE GOVERNMENT WILL CONTINUE TO DO THAT, AND AS IN THE PAST THEY WILL DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO AVOID BRITISH DEPENDENT TERRITORIES CITIZENS ENCOUNTER ING DIFFICULTIES IN THIRD COUNTRIES, PARTICULARLY OVER IMMIGRATION PROCEDURES.

+YOU ALSO ASKED FOR ASSURANCE THAT THE NATIONAL STATUS OF BRITISH DEPENDENT TERRITORIES CITIZENS AND HER MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT'S UNDERTAKINGS TOWARDS THEM WOULD CONTINUE WHETHER A PARTICULAR DEPENDENT TERRITORY REMAINED IN SCHEDULE 6 OF THE BILL OR NOT. I CANNOT, OF COURSE, MAKE ANY DEFINITE FORECAST ABOUT A HYPOTHETICAL SITUATION, PARTICULARLY ONE WHICH, AS YOU YOURSELF POINTED OUT IN THE DEBATE, IS VERY REMOTE. IT IS IMPORTANT, HOWEVER, TO POINT OUT THAT A DEPENDENT TERRITORY MAY ONLY BE REMOVED FROM SCHEDULE 6 BY A DECISION OF PARLIAMENT.

+ IF THERE WERE TO BE A CHANGE IN THE STATUS OF A DEPENDENCY, THE QUESTION OF THE NATIONAL STATUS IN OUR LAW OF PEOPLE FROM THAT DEPENDENCY WOULD THEREFORE BE FOR PARLIAMENT TO DECIDE, TAK ING ACCOUNT OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES. IT WOULD, I BELIEVE, BÉ WRONG TO TRY TO BE MORE PRECISE ON HOW BRITISH DEPENDENT TERRITORIES CITIZENS FROM HONG KONG MIGHT BE AFFECTED, PARTICULARLY AS NO CLEAR ANALOGY CAN BE DRAWN BETWEEN THAT TERRITORY AND OTHERS WHICH IN THE PAST HAVE CEASED TO BE DEPENDENCIES. WHAT I BELIEVE MATTERS MOST FROM HONG KONG'S POINT OF VIEW IS THAT THE STABILITY OF THE TERRITORY RESTS ON THE TWIN BASES OF OUR EXCELLENT RELATIONS WITH CHINA AND OF BRITAIN'S COMMITMENT TO SUPPORT THE INTERESTS OF HONG KONG'S PEOPLE. THAT IS NOT ALTERED BY THE NATIONAL ITY BILL.+

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