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citizenship which makes clear whether a person belongs to the United Kingdom itself, or to its existing dependencies, or its former dependencies. Having gone to the trouble of creating separate citizenships, we would not favour a measure which suggested that the holders all stood in the same realtionship to the United Kingdom. They do not, and it is important that we do not suggest this.
7. I am afraid therefore that we see real difficulties
in this amendment which would run counter to our basic aim of distinctive citizenships. I hope therefore that, my Noble Friend will be prepared to withdraw his amendment.
8. But having said that, my Lords, I do want to repeat with the utmost sincerity what we have repeatedly said during the passage of this Bill that nothing in this Bill in any way weakens the links between the UK and the dependencies. Speaking on the Falkland Islands amendment on 7 October, the Noble Lord Lord Geddes said that what Hong Kong sought was an overt demonstration of 'super-glue' political and national links with the United Kingdom. I understand this but let me repeat what the Home Secretary said in another Place on the 28th of January:
'We are aware of the strength of feeling in Hong Kong
on the need to maintain the ties between the Territory and the United Kingdom. I should like to reaffirm that the proposed legislation is in no way intended to weaken those links to which we attach
great importance'.
My Lords I should like to take this opportunity to reaffirm that the relationship is as important as ever to Her Majesty's Government. As I have made clear the Government opposed the Gibraltar amendment precisely because we believed that all CBDTs should be treated uniformly, but its passage against our judgment does not alter in any way our obligations to the people of Hong Kong and the other
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