TNAG-1080-FCO40-1330-Implications-for-Hong-Kong-of-changes-in-the-British-nationa-1981 — Page 127

UARY, 1981.

.COMMISSIONER

SAGE FIVE.

THERE IS NO NEED FOR ME TO .1 COME NOW TO PART 1 OF THE DILL. GO INTO ITS CLAUSES IN DETAIL SINCE THEY ARE BROADLY SIMILAR TO

THERE ARE, HOWEVER, THE PROVISIONS FOR BRITISH CITIZENSHIP.

ONE OR TWO POINTS OF PRINCIPLE WHICH I SHOULD MAKE.

THE FIRST IS THAT THE BILL PROVIDES FOR A COMPOSITE CITIZENSHIP COVERING ALL THE DEPENDENT TERRITORIES. I AM SURE THAT THIS IS RIGHT. WE ARE AWARE OF THE STRENGTH OF FEELING IN HONG KONG ON THE NEED TO MAINTAIN THE TIES BETWEEN THAT TERRITORY AND THE UNITED KINGDOM. 1 SHOULD LIKE TO REAFFIRM THAT THE PROPOSED LEGISLATION IS IN NO WAY INTENDED TO WEAKEN THOSE LINKS TO WHICH WE ATTACH GREAT IMPORTANCE. I DO, HOWEVER, UNDERSTAND THE FEELINGS OF SOME OF THE DEPENDENCIES WHO FEEL THAT THEIR PARTICULAR

WE HAVE TAKEN WITH GREAT SERIOUSNESS THE SITUATION IS SPECIAL.

IT IS OCVIOUSLY APPROACHES WHICH HAVE SEEN MADE TO US BY GIBRALTAR. IMPORTANT THAT THE GIBRALTAR HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY HAS UNANIXOUSLY PASSED A MOTION ASKING US TO RECONSIDER THE POSITION SO AS TO

THE POSITION OF THE CATEGORISE THEM AS BRITISH CITIZENS. FALKLAND ISLANDS ALSO COMMANDS A GREAT DEAL OF SYMPATHY.

NEVERTHELESS, IF REMAINS RIGHT THAT THE CITIZENSHIP OF OUR DEPENDENT TERRITORIES SHOULD APPLY IN A UNIFORM WAY THORUGHOUT THOSE TERRITORIS. UNIMAGINABLE CONFUSION WOULD RESULT IF THIS WERE NOT SO. WHAT I DO WANT TO STRESS, HOWEVER, IS THAT THE BILL IN NO WAY ALTERS THE POSITION AS REGARDS THE UNITED KINGDOM'S MORAL AND CONSTITUTIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THE TERRITORIES IN QUESTION. NOR DOES IT IN ANY HAY AFFECT THE SPECIAL POSITION OF GIBRALTAR AS PART OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY.

IN DECEMBER 1979 ON THE FALKLAND ISLANDS, I WANT TO SAY THIS. FOLLOWING THE PUBLICATION THE WHITE PAPER ON THE REVISION OF THE IMIGRATION RULES, MY HON. FRIEND THE MINISTER OF STATE AT THE . FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE SENT A MESSAGE TO THE PEOPLE OF THE FALKLAND ISLANDS ASSURING THEM THAT IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY THE PROBLEMS OF ANY ISLANDER WHO DID NOT POSSESS THE RIGHT OF ABODE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND WHO WAS IN TROUBLE AT THAT TIME, WOULD BE MOST CAREFULLY AND SYMPATHETICALLY CONSIDERED.

IN THELIGHT OF THE CONCERN RECENTLY EXPRESSED ON BEHALF OF THE

SH TO REAFFIRM THAT PLEDGE AND ASSURE THE ILANDERS

147 Sual IECUSTARDES THEY CAN DEPEND UPON THE MOST SYMPATHETIC

I

CONSIDERATION OF THEIR POSITION.

APART FROM THOSE WHO WANT THEIR SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP WITH THE UNITED KINGDON EMPHASISED IN THE SILL THE PRIVISIONS OF THE BILL FOR · DEPENDENT TERRITORIES ARE, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, BROADLY ACCEPTABLE

THE DIFFERING CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE INDIVIDUAL TO THOSE TERRITORIES. TERRITORIES MAKE IT PRACTICAL TO PROVIDE THROUGH THE BILL FOR

TERRITORIES TO CARRY WITH IT CITIZENSHIP OF THE BRITISH DEPENDENT

THE IMMIGRATION

THE RIGHT OF ABODE IN THESE TERRITORIES GENERALLY. ORD INACES OF THE INDIVIDUAL TERRITORIES ARE A MATTER FOR THE

THEREFORE WHAT WILL, I UNDERSTAND, HAPPEN INDIVIDUAL TERRITORIES. IS THAT THE TERRITORIES WILL REVIEW THEIR IMMIGRATION ORDINANCES IN THE LIGHT OF THIS 3ILL WITH A VIEW, BRAODLY SPEAKING, TO ENABLING THOSE CITIZENS OF THE BIRITISH DEPENDENT TERRITORIES WHO CERIVE THEIR CITIZENSHIP FROM A CONNECTION WITH A PARTICULAR TERRITORY TO RESIDE. THERE. ALTHOUGH THERE MAY BE DIFFICULTIES IN A SMALL NUMBER OF CASES IT IS, I THINK, GENERALLY ACCEPTED BY THE DEPENDEN- CIES THAT THIS SHOULD BE DONE AS FAR AS IS POSSIBLE.

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