XN000022-1989-01-11 — Page 48

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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 1989

JOHN ELLIOT (FINANCIAL TIMES): ARE YOU SAYING NUMBERS ARE A FACTOR, OR ARE NOT A FACTOR?

LORD GLENARTHUR: WELL OF COURSE NUMBERS EXIST, YOU CAN'T GET AWAY FROM THE FACT THAT THERE ARE 100,000 PEOPLE AFFECTED, ROUGHLY, IN MACAU, AND IT IS IN EXCESS OF 3 MILLION HERE.

YOJARA SHARMA: BUT THE POPULATION OF PORTUGAL IS SMALLER THAN THE POPULATION OF BRITAIN, AND IT'S A SMALLER COUNTRY, AND A POORER COUNTRY.

LORD GLENARTHUR: WELL, YES, YOU POINT AT A PROBLEM WHICH IS DIFFERENT IN ITS DIMENSIONS WITHIN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY,

MAGGIE NELSON (RTHK): CAN I HAVE YOUR RESPONSE TO THE MOUNTING PRESSURE TO GIVE FULL BRITISH CITIZENSHIP TO THE WIVES OF EX- SERVICEMEN?

LORD GLENARTHUR: YES, THIS WAS A POINT THAT WAS RAISED WITH ME LAST NIGHT, AND WHAT I HAVE UNDERTAKEN TO DO IS TO LOOK VERY CAREFULLY AT THE INDIVIDUAL CASES, AND I EXPECT OMELCO NOW TO SUBMIT DETAILS AND DOSSIERS OF THOSE CASES AND I WILL HAVE THEM LOOKED AT STRAIGHT AWAY.

TOM MCMULLAN (PRESS ASSOCIATION): TO CLARIFY ONE OF YOUR EARLIER ANSWERS WHEN YOU MENTIONED 100,000 AGAINST 3 MILLION, WHY DID YOU ACTUALLY MENTION 3 MILLION? DO YOU THINK THAT 3 MILLION PEOPLE WOULD WANT TO COME TO BRITAIN?

LORD GLENARTHUR: I DIDN'T MENTION IT BECAUSE I THINK 3 MILLION COULD, IT'S THE ACTUAL NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO, THEY'VE GOT BRITISH NATIONALITY, THAT'S ALL, THAT'S THE RATIO.

TOM MCMULLAN: AND HOW MANY DO YOU THINK MIGHT COME IF THE OFFER WERE OPEN TO THEM?

OF

LORD GLENARTHUR: WELL I'M NOT OPEN TO MAKE ANY CALCULATIONS THAT SORT AT ALI.. WHAT I'M PREPARED TO SAY IS THAT I HAVE EVERY CONFIDENCE THAT ALL THE WORK THAT HAS BEEN DONE ΤΟ IMPLEMENT THE SINO-BRITISH JOINT DECLARATION, IS BEING CARRIED FORWARD IN DISCUSSIONS NOW WITH THE CHINESE, THAT THE NEED WOULD NOT ARISE IN ANY

CASE.

STEVE VINES (OBSERVER): LORD GLENARTHUR, CAN I ASK YOU PROM IMMIGRATION FROM A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT POINT OF VIEW. AS YOU KNOW THE KNOW THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT WHICH IS THE, OR RATHER AUSTRALIA, WHICH IS THE SECOND LARGEST RECIPIENT OF HONG KONG IMMIGRANTS, IS SUFFICIENTLY CONCERNED ABOUT A POSSIBLE DOWNTURN IN IMMIGRATION FROM HONG KONG AND INVESTMENT FROM HONG KONG TO BE SENDING A GOVERNMENT MINISTER HERE TO REASSURE THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG THAT THEY WILL BE WELCOME IN AUSTRALIA. BRITAIN I THINK IS THE FOURTH, AND THE FOURTH BY A VERY LONG MARGIN AWAY FROM THE UNITED STATES AS THE THIRD POSITION RECIPIENT OF HONG KONG IMMIGRANTS; DO YOU THINK BRITAIN IS MISSING OUT ON OPPORTUNITIES BY HAVING SO FEW IMMIGRANTS FROM HONG KONG, AND SO LITTLE INVESTMENT COMING IN FROM THIS PLACE?

/LORD GLENARTHUR: