TNAG-0660-FCO40-809-Implications-for-Hong-Kong-of-changes-in-British-nationality-1977 — Page 195

CONFERENC

TOTAL

TIRING

13. An important factor in the timing of publication ie the Queen's Jubilee Tour of the Pacific which is taking place from 10 February to 30 Harch. She will be visiting Australia and New Zealand, where there may be strong reactions against the proposals (see Annex). Publication during the tour could cause embarrassment to Her Majesty and sour the atmosphere during what is intended to be a major celebratory event.

14. Unless the parliamentary reasons for early publication are overriding, there are advantages in the shortening of the period between publication and the coming into force of a new Act. The longer the lapse of time, the more opportunity interested groups overseas and immigrant lobbies in this country will have to mount campaigns, and the greater the pressure on the immigration controls is likely to be.

CONCLUSIONS

15. I urge my colleagues to accept:-

a. that first we should take decisions on

whether and when a nationality Bill should be presented to Parliament;

b. that we should relate the timing of the

publication of a consultative document to the government's legislation programme;

c. that whenever we decide to publish a

consultative document, the FCO should have at least 4 weeks from receipt of supplies of the document to publication day, in order to carry out consultation with the Commonwealth, dependencies and some foreign countries in such a marner that adverse

reaction is contained so far as possible;

d. that we should time our actions in such a

way that HMG's proposals on the Nationality Law do not become the subject of controversy at the Commonwealth Heads of Government

Meeting; and

5

/e.

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