CONFIDENTIAL
This is s a small price to pay when one remembers that from theestablishment of the Group on Nationality Lay to the earliest implementation of a new Act nearly
years will have elapsed. Ministers have still to̟ approve the text of any consultative document, which must be considered very carefully from the point of view of its substance and its manner of presentation of
the Government's thinking. The document must be
drafted while bearing in mind likely reactions both in this country and among governments and United Kingdom nationals overseas. It could be made relative- ly innocuous by omitting features of the proposals most likely to attract criticism; I do not recommend this course, since their subsequent revelation would cause HMG even greater trouble, including charges of duplicity. Once the text has been agreed, the printers will need some time to print the document in the
numbers required. If nevertheless for Parliamentary reasons in the United Kingdom it were decided that we should go ahead with the very early publication of a Green Paper, the most that we might achieve would be to send our overseas posts a full summary of the agreed text of the document. The FCO would need at least 3 and preferably 4 weeks between despatch of a summary and publication. If a date in February were chosen for publication it would now probably be necessary to telegraph a shorter summary of the Green Paper to posts, but this would be less satisfactory to then end would cost HG many thousands of pounds.
ADVANTAGES OF PUBLICATION IN OCTOBER/KOVEMBER 1977
11. Publication in the autumn would give us ample time for the preparation of material to send to overseas posts and for Governors/Commissioners/High Commissioners to absorb the material and to carry cut their function of consultation or explanation
in a satisfactory manner.
12. There would also be advantage in shortening the period which elapses between the publication of HC's proposals and the coming into force of a new Nationality Act. Even if publication took place in
CONTEDEURIAL
/October
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