Mr Whalley
Mr Hilary (c.r) Mr Canovan
Mr Lee
NATIONALITY BILL
I held a meeting this afternoon with those responsible in Immigration and Nationality Department for work on the Nationality Bill and with officials from Foreign and Commonwealth Office to consider whether it would be possible to insert into the structure of the Nationality Bill a third citizenship for British dependencies.
We concluded that a three-tier citizenship could be construc-- ted.
We do not think that it would be possible to retain the title Citizen of the UK and Colonies, as requested by the Governor of Hong Kong, for those who belong to the Dependent Territories. There is an inherent contradiction in a Bill whose purpose is to break up this unified concept retaining the id
title.
A three-tier citizenship will almost certainly be attacked on the ground that those who will hold British Overseas Citizen- ship, who are already being described as second class citizens, will now be seen as third class citizens. However, this would not introduce a new element of controversy into the proposal s but would only exacerbate one which is already present.
It is possible that increased controversy here will excite the Government of India to raise the question of UKPH from East Africa now back in India and lead to demands for undertakings that the existing quota for India, under the UKPH voucher scheme, will be maintained or even increased. The size of the quota for India (at present 600 a year) is not publicly known though those interested in the subject have a rough idea of its sire.
The creation of a separate citizenship for British dependencies may bring into greater prominence local arrangements, notably in Gibraltar, under which colonial governments with a large measure of independence do not accept all the people in their territories as being belongers. It may be necessary, and it would in any case be desirable, for the FCO to bring pressure
/to bear
CONFIDENTIA
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