TNAG-1080-FCO40-1330-Implications-for-Hong-Kong-of-changes-in-the-British-nationa-1981 — Page 78

CONFIDENTIAL

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

London SW1A 2AH

2 February 1981

Miss S Kippax PS/Mr Raison Home Office

Queen Anne's Gate LONDON SW1

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HKCK 340

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY NO. 51

03 FER

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INTERVIEW WITH MR RAISON FOR HONG KONG TUB

1. The following is a note on the topics you mentioned to me on the telephone:

Format of Passports

People in Hong Kong place a good deal of importance on how they are to be described in their passports after the Nationality Bill has been enacted. Mr Raison confirmed in winding-up the debate on the second reading of the Bill, that the outside of the passport would have the words 'British Passport' and 'Hong Kong' on it. This is present practice.

However, the point to which Sir P Bryan drew attention in the second reading debate was the description of citizenship inside the passport. He suggested that 'British (Hong Kong) Citizen' be used. This would cause difficulties because this section of the passport should describe the precise nationality status of the bearer. Mr Raison might say that the format of passports is an administrative matter, that we understand the Hong Kong point but that the formal description of nationality status must be accurate.

Schedule 1

In the same debate, Mr Raison agreed that the implications of Schedule 1 of the Bill for locally engaged officials and Unofficial Members of the Executive and Legislative Councils should be examined in Committee. This is a very delicate issue; it brings into play the concerns of Hong Kong people about the future and a possible take-over by the Chinese. What is being sought is an assurance that, if this were to happen, HMG would consider sympathetically accepting into the UK those officials and unofficials whose work had placed them in exposed positions They had thought that the White Paper allowed for this and have been very disturbed to find that the Bill does not. Lord Carrington will be writing to Mr Whitelaw on this.

CONFIDENTIAL

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