CONFIDENTIAL
-6-
INTERNAL MATTERS
18. Lord Brockway may raise a large number of Hong Kong internal
issues such as bus fares, domestic rents, clearances of Crown
Land for development, a replacement airport, district administration,
Professor Turner's report on Trade Unions in Hong Kong, a compulsory
constributory social service scheme, the Public Order Ordinance,
rehousing for people living on boats and pay for social workers.
All these are matters for which the Hong Kong Government is primarily
responsible and in which Her Majesty's Government would not
generally wish to intervene.
NEW NATIONALITY LEGISLATION
19. The Hong Kong Government and particularly the Unofficial Members
of the Executive and Legislative councils have been concerned, since
the publication of the original Green Paper, about the effect on
people in Hong Kong of the proposed changes in British Nationality
Law. The separate category of citizenship for Dependent Territory
belongers was introduced as a result of the representations made
by Hong Kong.
20. The introduction of the Nationality Bill itself has caused
considerable alarm in Hong Kong, particularly among locally-engaged
(mainly Chinese) government servants and the Unofficials.
They have interpreted the Bill as an attempt by Her Majesty's
Government to distance itself from Hong Kong so that, should the
Chinese take Hong Kong over, Her Majesty's Government will not be
responsible for its population. Senior local Civil Servants have
petitioned the Secretary of State and the Unofficials sent
CONFIDENTIAL
/representatives
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