TNAG-1080-FCO40-1330-Implications-for-Hong-Kong-of-changes-in-the-British-nationa-1981 — Page 108

C

CONFIDENTIAL

Nationality Bill without great difficult. If done, however, there could then be pressures from individual dependencies for amendments to the Nationality Law in respect of that particular dependency for some good reason or another, and that might be a slippery slope. It is still not a totally convincing argument in nationality terms, but it is a course that the Home Office would not like.

4. What the Home Office are turning to us for now is for arguments that they can use in the Committee Stage in favour of a collective citizenship for the dependencies rather than separate citizenships. I should be grateful if the geographical

departments to whom this minute is addressed would consider their previous position on the principle and consider whether there are any more arguments that could be advanced in Committee other than those given by Mr Raison in his winding-up speech referred to above.

5. In the meantime NTD will be considering with the Home Office arguments related to purely nationality points.

6. There is some urgency on this. The Committee Stage starts on 10 February, and there could be PQs before that date. I should be grateful therefore for a response by close of play on Wednesday 4 February.

29 January 1981

CONFIDENTIAL

سمسا

woner

W Jones

Nationality and Treaty Department