TNAG-1080-FCO40-1330-Implications-for-Hong-Kong-of-changes-in-the-British-nationa-1981 — Page 154

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HKCK 340

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY NO. 51 0 3 FEB 1981

Mr Jones (NTD)

DESK OFFICER INDEX

PA

REGISTRY Action Taken

Mr. Wilhimon

heep in touch with

I have spoken ti

M. Aroor. He doubt if we will be

neachd is na Caree

stige

BRIEFING ARRANGEMENTS FOR MR LUCE DURING THE COMMITTEE STAGE OF THE NATIONALITY BILL

1.

Mr Luce spoke to me this morning about the need to provide efficient and adequate briefing arrangements for him during the Committee stage of the Bill. We spoke about this afterwards.

2. Mr Luce has more or less agreed with Mr Raison that both Ministers should be able to deal with either Department's points as necessary. So good and rapid liaison between the Home Office and ourselves will be vital. Mr Luce is not sure how often he and Mr Raison will need to meet, but before each Tuesday and Thursday Committee session there must be the possibility of briefing meetings with Mr Luce as well, of course, as the prompt submission of written briefs. There will also need to be proper back-up in the box.

3. I think the nucleus of all such briefing meetings would inevitably be yourself (or your NTD representative) plus a Home Office colleague (eg Mr Lee) to which specialists (eg HKGD, SAD, ECD etc) could be invited as necessary.

•

4. On written briefs, Mr Luce has stressed the need for clear and adequate explanations of purpose for each section and sub-section. He points out that this can often ease the passage of a section significantly.

5. I promised Mr Luce that you would let him have a 'plan of action' based on the above, cleared with the Home Office, for him to see on his return from Uganda on 4 February. I also promised him that you and an appropriate Home Office colleague would go to see him on his return to discuss further. I should be happy to be present.

6. Meanwhile you said that Mr Luce might like to see the voluminous briefs prepared for Second Reading. Could you please send them to his Private Secretary by 27 January and could I also see a set some time?

7. Mr Luce discussed the criticisms of the Bill in the press, many of which seemed unfounded. One area which naturally concerns him is Dependent Territories. I said I thought that the political assurances to Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands should be sufficient if the leaders of these two dependencies were responsible.

I was more worried about the problem we had run into with the Bermudan Government where they were insisting on refusing, by use of their autonomous immigrant powers, right of abode status to certain categories who would receive Category 2 citizenship under the Bill. I thought we could insist on their taking the otherwise Stateless but

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