TNAG-1085-FCO40-1335-Implications-for-Hong-Kong-of-changes-in-the-British-nationa-1981 — Page 96

DSR 14 (Revised)

DRAFT:

FROM:

minute/letter/teleletter/despatch/note

Lord Trefgarne

DEPARTMENT:

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION

TO:

Top Secret

Secret

Confidential

Restricted

Unclassified

PRIVACY MARKING

i

Timothy Raison Esq MP

Home Office

SUBJECT:

TEL. NO:

TYPE: Draft/Final 1+

Reference

Your Reference

Copies to:

..In Confidence

CAVEAT......

Enclosures-flag(s)..

NATIONALITY BILL:

FINAL STAGES

When we discussed the Gibraltar amendment at the.

Home Secretary's meeting on 17 September we did not

reach the point of considering how opposition and other

non-Governmental amendments on Hong Kong might be dealt with in the Lords at Report Stage. Given the

unpredictability of how the Gibraltar and Falkland

Islands amendments will fare it is important to consider ways of meeting and preferably preempting the objections

which are likely to arise from other dependent territories

especially if a difficult amendment on Hong Kong is proposed in the Lords.

Indeed the Governor has already made clear Hong Kong's preference for a clause declaring

that those covered by the Bill should remain British nationals. As you know Hong Kong's concern is not to

achieve right of entry to the United Kingdom but to underline their political connection with Britain at a time when maintenance of confidence is of great importance for them, as indeed it is for us.

In the circumstances I wonder whether it might not be

prudent to seek a formula for an amendment that we ourselv can deploy in the Lords at need. The aim would be to

find something that would meet Hong Kong's requirements while leaving the principle of CBDT intact, and that would

enable the Governor of Hong Kong to assure his Executive and Legislative Councils that we had taken account of thei

interests.

/We think