TNAG-0901-FCO40-1111-Implications-for-Hong-Kong-of-changes-in-British-nationality-1979 — Page 142

3

Registr No.

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION

Top Secret,

Secret.

Confidential.

Restricted.

Unclassified.

PRIVACY MARKING

DRAFT Letter

To:-

T Raison Esq

Home Office

Queen Anne's Gate London SW1H 9AT

HKK340/1

With HKK

Type 1 +

From

Mr R Luce

Telephone No. Ext.

Department

24

In Confidence

He also disculled that anyth

with the hair!

REVIEW OF THE LAW OF NATIONALITY: OBJECTIONS FROM DEPENDENCIES

1.

Dee (26

I have to draw your attention to objections which have

been received from dependent territories against the proposal

in the Green Paper on British nationality law to create a

class of United Kingdom national termed "British Overseas

Citizen" which is to include all persons who are now citizens

of the United Kingdom and Colonies who have no right of abode

in the United Kingdom. I understand that reports from a number

of colonies have been sent to your officials and you will know

that the Governor of Hong Kong mentioned the problem when he

called on the Home Secretary on 14 June. Hong Kong, of

course, is one of the colonies which feels strongly about the

proposals in the Green Paper.

G

2. The objection of the dependencies is basically/being

given a citizenship of inferior status. This is partly a

SUYAKE question of sensitive rights and partly a question of

terminology. It is, of course, necessary to distinguish

people who belong to colonies from people who belong to the

metropolitan territory but it would seem only right to give

those who belong to colonies rights in them equal to the right

others possess in the United Kingdom. This would involve

creating a third class of nationality for those who have

no right of abode in any territory.

Names will have to be

found for this new class of nationality and I suggest that

further thought be given to this aspect32006 the sidecknell

/since