TNAG-1080-FCO40-1330-Implications-for-Hong-Kong-of-changes-in-the-British-nationa-1981 — Page 58

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NEW NATIONALITY LEGISLATION: POSITION OF LOCALLY-ENGAGED CIVIL SERVANTS AND UNOFFICIALS IN HONG KONG

1. Senior locally-engaged llong Kong Civil Servants and Unofficial Members of the Executive and Legislative Councils wish the Nationality Bill to be amended to provide for their naturalisation to British citizenship. They want this

provision so that those whose public service to the Crown will make them particularly exposed in the event of a Chinese take-over of Hong Kong, will have a haven. They have the

Governor's strong support in this.

2.

Fossible solutions to this problem range from amendments

to the Bill, to some form of assurance by HMG that these

people would be allowed to enter the United Kingdom in an

emergency.

3.

Amendments to the Bill

(a) The preferred Hong Kong solution is to remove "under the

government of the United Kingdom" from Schedule 1

Clause 1(3) of the Bill. This would mean that all Crown

Servants in dependent territories who met the other

requirements of Clauses 1(1) and (2) would be eligible

for naturalisation as British citizens under the Bill.

fart deformthes

pennt

This solution would be difficult to accept since it would

be indiscriminatory and, in the case of Hong Kong, would

up to 130, ovo

& Police apply to tenfs of thousands of Civil Servants, and would

enable them to apply for such registration at any time

after the enactment of the Bill. It would also not on

Livek

its own give them the right of entry into the UK.. Nor

would it also cover Unofficials.

(b) The second option would be to add a further subsection to

Schedule 1, giving the Home Secretary the discretion to

waive the--

by Jrespect

people

s for naturalisation in respect of

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