TNAG-1084-FCO40-1334-Implications-for-Hong-Kong-of-changes-in-the-British-nationa-1981 — Page 42

C

Wp

CONFIDENTIAL

ESSENTIAL FACTS: NATIONALITY BILL

1. Sir S Y Chung visited London at the beginning of this year

to lobby for concessions for Hong Kong in the Bill. His visit was

followed later by one from the Governor.

Following these visits

HMG put forward a number of amendments which met some of the

Hong Kong points.

2. An amendment to the Nationality Bill was passed by the Lords

in Committee on 22 July, which effectively would give Gibraltarians

the right to become British Citizens. Details are in the attached

telegram to Governors.

He

3. The line with Sir S Y Chung is based on that telegram.

may suggest concessions to Hong Kong for inclusion in the Bill

to compensate for the Gibraltar amendment. He might seek, for

example, to alter the nomenclature of 'Citizen of the British

Dependent Territories' as used in the Bill to some other wording

to underline Hong Kong's 'British' connection. It might at some

stage be necessary for us to consider a fall-back in regard to the

Dependent Territories but only if the Gibraltar amendment stands.

(The possibility of a fall-back should however not be implied to

Sir S Y). Until HMG's position on that amendment is known it would

be inappropriate to discuss other measures with the dependencies.

According to the Acting Governor of Hong Kong, the combined

meeting of Hong Kong's Executive and Legislative Councils on

4.

24 July eventually agreed that the right approach to the situation

created by the passage of the Gibraltar amendment was at this

stage 'to play it cool'.

Hong Kong and General Department

27 July 1981

CONFIDENTIAL