TNAG-1192-FCO40-1494-Implications-for-Hong-Kong-of-changes-in-the-British-nationa-1982 — Page 44

DSR 11c

calls for. the passport as an international travel document in October

last year during the debate on the Nationality Bill Lord

Geddes moved an amendment that 'Every person who under this

Act is a British Citizen, a citizen of the British dependent

territories or a British Overseas Citizen shall have the

status of a British national'. He was not at the time aware

of citizen categories/he mentioned

that the three

GA

plus British

Protected Persons and the residual British subjects

and are British nationals for passport/and consular

purposes irrespective of our domestic definition of

citizenship. The Government spokesman, Lord Trefgarne, argued against narrowly defeated this amendment on the grounds that

were

nationality as distinct from/citizenship cannot appropriately

be defined in domestic legislation, and that for the holder's

nationality to be described as British in passports would

blur the distinction in immigration terms between British

citizens and the other categories of citizenship, and would

raise expectations among the less well informed which in the

event could not be realised.

5.

Although Lord Geddes' amendment was defeated it

remains a useful reminder that interest in being described

as a British national is not restricted to Hong Kong. It

would be convenient to be able to confine a revised description

in passports to Hong Kong belongers.

But there are two reasons

why this cannot be done. Other dependencies would demand to

be included in any special arrangement made for Hong Kong

particularly as Gibraltarians already are a favoured category

become one

and the Falkland Islanders will / if Lord Bruce of Donington's

proposed Bill succeeds.

We could not easily explain to the

/remaining