TNAG-0660-FCO40-809-Implications-for-Hong-Kong-of-changes-in-British-nationality-1977 — Page 49

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81.0.51

18 MAY 1977

港下亞畢道

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For Mitchell NOTA

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*** OUR REF.:

39/2091/72

來函檔號 YOUR REF.:

JA B Stewart Esq OBE

Mr Mitchell NOTJ

I wordly written

x1

not on

File Y

Hong Kong Department FCO

Dear John.

31

C.S. 41A

GOVERNMent secRETARIAT

LOWER ALBERT ROAD

HONG KONG

9th May, 1977

Ли du. David

11. Consult

NTD. The Hamsand

be grateful for any fell outing the

Kommenta

GREEN PAPER ON NATIONALITY

Arms Bastan's starement and the quartier to wheid

b

it gave nine will

Ofisi X.

We should be grateful for any advice which you can give us regarding the likely timetable which may develop in the UK 'for considering the Green Paper on Nationality and seeking comments from dependencies etc. We should also like to know whether there is likely to be any debate in the House and what the reactionsof the main parties are likely to be on the Green Paper itself. Any information you can give us on these points would help us in considering our own programme locally. Could you also say whether, at some later stage, a White Paper is likely or whether the next step will be draft legislation?

2.

Diy 7に 7157

Martin Rowlands, the Director of Immigration, will be coming to the UK at the end of May for a holiday and you already know that I shall be home in mid-August. We shall take the opportunity of calling to discuss developments but any advance information you can give us on the programme would be helpful.

3.

Incidentally, we were a bit perplexed by what, if any, inference we ought to draw from the proposal in your telegram No 305 of 27 April to omit the words 'any legislation will not be introduced for two or three years' and substitute 'early legislation'. Our original wording was taken verbatim from paragraph 5(a) of Guidance 66. We note that the Home Secretary used the words 'a bill in the near future' in the report in Verbatim Series 103/77. Does this mean we may find that the process of consideration etc. is perhaps likely to be reduced in time to any significant degree.

4.

I am sending a copy of this letter to Teddy Kidd,

LAST

REF.

Your wur brin

NEX:

REF.

36 37

(L M Davies) Secretary for Security

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