TNAG-1125-FCO40-1400-British-Nationality-Act-1981-and-the-Dependent-Territories-1982 — Page 27

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GUIDANCE TELEGRAM

GNN 340/1(13) FI

PERSONAL TO ALL DEPENDENT TERRITORIES; AND TO CERTAIN MISSIONS:

UKREP EC Brussels, BIS Swiss Embassy Buenos Aires, Canberra,

Belmopan, La Paz, Brasilia, Santiago, Peking, Bogotá, San José,

Havana, Santo Domingo, Quito, San Salvador, Paris, Bonn, St George's,

BIS Swiss Embassy Guatemala City, Georgetown, Port au Prince,

Tegucigalpa, New Delhi, Rome, Kingston, Nairobi, Mexico City,

Wellington, Managua, Islamabad, Panama City, Asuncion, Lima,

Lisbon, Castries, Kingstown (St Vincent), Moscow, Madrid, Dar es Salaam,

Port of Spain, Kampala, Washington, Montevideo, Caracas, Bridgetown,

Lusaka.

BRITISH NATIONALITY (FALKLAND ISLANDS) AMENDMENT BILL

1. A Private Members Bill introduced in the House of Lords by

Baroness Vickers and read a second time on 29 November would grant

British citizenship to the 400 Falkland Islanders who will otherwise

become British Dependent Territories citizens under the British

Nationality Act 1981 when it comes into force on 1 January 1983. The

other 1400 Islanders have sufficiently close connections with the UK

to qualify as British citizens under the BNA 1981.

LINE TO TAKE

2.

You should not initiate discussion.

In response to enquiries

If

it should be stressed that it is only a Bill and there is no certainty

as to the form in which it will reach the statute book. It should

also be emphasised that the measure is wholly exceptional and is not

to be regarded as a precedent for other Dependent Territories.

asked about Gibraltar you should say that the two cases are different.

BDTCS with a connection with Gibraltar are entitled under Section 5

of the BNA to register as British citizens because Gibraltar is a

European territory of an EC Member State and the people concerned

are considered to be UK nationals for the purpose of the EC Treaties.

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