TNAG-1084-FCO40-1334-Implications-for-Hong-Kong-of-changes-in-the-British-nationa-1981 — Page 128

Mr. Cliff We spre

надо

we have a

PRIME MINISTER

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FRITZ SEVI.

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RECEIVED RESITY NO. 51

9 JUN 1981

DESK DEFICER INDEX

REGISTRY

PA Aion Taken

LUCE

радя

281A

ps / Arr terimiste

Chies Cherk Mr Adam

A Donars

(-)

At the meeting of CD on 29an (OD(51) 1st Meeting, HkG Item 1) I was invited,

I was invited, in consu

the Fdreign and Commonwealth Secretary, to give further consideration to the case for creating a distinctive citizenship for a particular dependent territory, such as the Falkland Islands, and to report.

J Am D

SED WIAD

The whole question of separate citizenships for the dependent territories was clearly going to be a controversial issue during the passage of the British Nationality Bill through its Committee Stage in the Commons. I have therefore postponed my report until I could see what the Standing Committee decided.

Ruy

525

see 293

There are some attractions in establishing separate citizen- ships for the dependencies. The problem is that a separate citizenship is not appropriate for every dependency. It was clear in Committee that some members on both sides who saw attractions in separate citizenships for some dependencies favoured different treatment, e.g. incorporation in British citizenship, for others. The dependencies were extremely sensitive about the effect of the Nationality Bill for them and the prospect of different treatment for different dependencies would have exacerbated the situation at this stage.

The Government line at the Committee Stage, which was, of course, agreed between the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary and myself, was therefore that the Bill's proposals that there should be a composite citizenship to cover all the dependent territories should be adhered to. The reasons that Government spokesmen gave were that there was no expressed desire on the part of the dependent territories (apart from Gibraltar) for a separate citizenship; that there could be problems in some cases (some dependent territories are obviously too small and would have to be left with a residual composite citizenship or taken into British citizenship); and that Hong Kong in particular did not want a separate citizenship if, as seomed inevitable, this would seem to distance her still further from the United Kingdom.

During the Committee proceedings no amendments were tabled which specifically accorded a separate citizenship for the Falkland Islands. The Governor's view was that the Falkland Islands would not want a separate citizenship; and it was believed that the creation of one could cause practical problems with Argentina, who might e.g. refuse to accept passports which described a person as “ citizen of the Falkland Islands". An amendment which would have paved the way for the creation of some separate citizenships was defeated by 13 votes to 11.

The Committee then turned its attention to whether the inhabi-- tants of certain dependent territories should be British citizens. Government spokesmen argued that this was bound to be seen as discriminatory by the dependencies (particularly Hong Kong) whose

SEORET