TNAG-1085-FCO40-1335-Implications-for-Hong-Kong-of-changes-in-the-British-nationa-1981 — Page 182

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SED

Mr Hunt

HKGD

Mr McQuade

WIAD Mr Hope

SAMD Mr Bright

Miss Dowds

ECD(I) Mr de Fonblanque

CRD

Keference......

GNN 340/1(13)

Ми

1. (342 whin

I think para

a broadly fan synopsis but please conside

andviss.

MVD TRED

Mr Cambridge Mr Gowlland

UKK 340/.

13/8/81

CODE 18,77

NATIONALITY BILL: CITIZENSHIP OF THE BRITIS DEPENDENI TERRITORIES

1.

SK OF

AY

INDEX

PA

Action Taken

84041

See (343

346.

The LPS and Mr Luce met with the Home Secretary and Lord Belstead last week to consider the line to be taken at Reporti Stage in the House of Lords towards the amendment affecting Gibraltar which had been moved successfully against the Government's wishes during Committee Stage. Broadly speaking this amendment,

gives a person who becomes a citizen of the British Dependent (349

Territories by reason of a connection with Gibraltar an entitlement to acquire British citizenship on application.

2. Briefly, the FCO view is that we do not want British citizenship for Gibraltar, and want all the dependencies treated equally. Ideally the amendment should be reversed. If not the existing position whereby Falkland Islands are treated in the same way as the other dependent territories may not be preserved. The Home Secretary inclines to the same view, the question being whether or not to attempt reversal at House of Lords Report Stage. It was agreed that this would be decided in September after consultation with senior peers and that in the meantime no suggestion would be made that the Government was prepared to accept the relevant provision of the Bill as it now stood.

3.

We now need views on the importance in relation to the other dependencies of the Government's being seen to have opposed the Gibraltar and Falkland Islands amendments to the end at least in the Lords. We know Hong Kong's view but we need the view in relation to the other dependencies.

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4. We also need a view from the geographical departments in relation to the other dependencies on possible long term consequences of final enactment of the Gibraltar and Falkland Islands amendments. Our general view and we think this is shared by Ministers is that in the last resort the Gibraltar amendment alone might just be bearable by the other dependencies sinceit would be explained as Parliament's view that their forming part of the EC made the crucial difference. There could be no such explanation of an amendment which treated the Falkland Islands differently from the other dependencies. The question is whether, if the Falkland Islands amendment goes through despite Government opposition, any complaints from other dependencies which would have to be resisted - could cause lasting damage to the UK's interests. I might also add that since it would be too

/late

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