TNAG-1082-FCO40-1332-Implications-for-Hong-Kong-of-changes-in-the-British-nationa-1981 — Page 84

Mr Boys Smith

See (185

NATIONALITY BILL: HONG KONG

1.

cc Miss Kippax

Mr Woodfield

Mr Hilary

Enter

Mr Pakenham-Walsh

Mrs Evans

Mr Colel

Mr Jone

(FCO)

HKIE 340/1

Mr Ingman ROVED Mr Daly

WAY HO. 51

3 0 MAR 1981

BEK OLCER INDEX

PA

مند

REGISTRY

174

Action Taken

+30.3. Pas 13/2

The

I understand that the Home Secretary has now agreed that a new clause should be tabled in the form attached to Mr Woodfield's note of 20 March. FCO are seeking agreement from their Ministers to the same course and the new clause should be tabled tomorrow.

2.

The Home Secretary is meeting Lord Carrington on Thursday 26 March and the discussion will no doubi turn on how Lord Carrington should present the Government's concessions when he visits long Kong. The way in which the Home Office see this is set out in paragraph 7 of the attached note on the new clause, which has been prepared with a view to circulation to the Standing Committee. It seems essential that Lord Carrington should not give a different account of the purpose of the new provision in Hong Kong to the one which we give here.

3. The form of words in paragraph 7 is likely to give rise to questions about just how many are likely to qualify under our policy to register "only sparingly". And people may ask how sparingly the present power to naturalise Crown Servants is used. Our recommendation is that Ministers should say that numbers cannot be predicted. Each case would have to be examined on its merits to see whether there were any special circumstances which would justify registration. (We should I think avoid if we can quoting figures like "5000 10000 over a period", which is how the Governor of Hong Kong sees this working).

4.

I would be grateful to know whether the Home Secretary agrees to the circulation of the attached note to the Standing Committee in due course. It will of course have to be amplified by Ministers on the Standing Committee when clause 7 is reached, as it could be this week. Presumably S of S will wish to reach a final conclusion on presentation only after he has seen Lord Carrington on Thursday, but in view of the risk that clause 7 may be reached that day, it seems sensible for the decision to be taken at that meeting.

B4 Division

MJA

M J ADDISON

24 March 1981