TNAG-1084-FCO40-1334-Implications-for-Hong-Kong-of-changes-in-the-British-nationa-1981 — Page 61

Mr Adams

Sir E Youde

Youd

CONFIDENTIAL

MR 20 Wi

Minister

NATIONALITY BILL: AMENDMENT ON GIBRALTAR: OTHER DEPENDENT TERRITORIES

Problem

1.

CONSEQUENCES FOR

What line should HMG take with the other Dependent Territories

if the amendment now before the House of Lords in Committee to allow

Gibraltarian Citizens of the British Dependent Territories

the right to register as British citizens is carried?

Recommendation

2.

CBDTs)

see/316

I recommend that Mr Luce should write to Mr Raison as In the

attached draft. NTD agree.

Background

3.

In the Commons the Government successfully resisted amendments

that would have brought Gibraltar and certain other dependencies

into British citizenship instead of CBDT. They also resisted an

amendment similar to that now before the Lords. They argued that

to discriminate between dependencies would cause deep resentment

amongst the others.

4.

The amendment now before the House of Lords in Committee

leaves Gibraltar in the scheme for CBDT but would give them the

right to register as British citizens if they wished because of

their membership of the EC. A vote is likely to be taken on this

on 21 or 22 July. It is impossible to predict the voting but

it is possible that the amendment will be carried. On the present

parliamentary timetable the amendment would not be considered by

the Lords in Report Stage until September/October and the Bill would

go back to the Commons after that.

CONFIDENTIAL

/Argument