TNAG-1081-FCO40-1331-Implications-for-Hong-Kong-of-changes-in-the-British-nationa-1981 — Page 175

PS/LPS

cc:

CONFIDENTIAL

PS/Mr Blaker ) with enclosure PS/Mr Ridley )

Mr Adams

Mr Donald

Mr Martin, SED

Mr Jones, NTD

Mr Morrice, HK & GD Mr Fearn, SAmD

99

НКК 340.

40|

RECEIVED IN PORY NO. 51

26 FEB 1981.

LESK ORACEA

INDEX

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225/2.

X

NATIONALITY BILL POSITION OF THE DEPENDENCIES

I.

-

See (92A)

Mr Luce thinks that it is very important to have an agreed line within the FCO on the handling of dependent territories in the Nationality Bill. He commissioned the attached paper from Mr Jones as a basis for Ministers to discuss the problems. The Lord Privy Seal has kindly agreed to chair a meeting of Ministers to discuss this paper at 5.15 pm on Thursday, 26 February in his office. I should be grateful if this paper could be in Ministers' boxes this evening to enable them to read it prior to the meeting.

2.

The linkage between citizenship and right of abode is an essential part of the Nationality Bill. We must therefore do all we can to extend this linkage to include the dependent territories. Mr Luce hopes that Ministers will be able to decide at the Lord Privy Seal's meeting an FCO line on whether we should aim for separate citizenships for each dependent territory or to confer British citizenship on all those who would currently become citizens of the British dependent territories (CBDTs).

3.

A possible fall-back position would be to discuss the possibilities of making concessions to individual dependent territories (eg the Thompson formula on Gibraltar and assurances to Hong Kong public servants). This could be considered at a later meeting.

4. Mr Luce thought that there should be an early meeting of all Ministers involved to consider and agree the parameters within which we can operate. It is important to realise that any move in favour of one dependent territory will also affect all the others and the cohesiveness of the Bill as

25 February 1981

CONFIDENTIAL

M J K Rickerd APS/Mr Luce