TNAG-1373-FCO40-1819-Ministerial-visits-from-the-UK-to-Hong-Kong-1985 — Page 72

ME 2AEK

CONFIDENTIAL

MR RENTON'S VISIT TO HONG KONG (27 31 OCTOBER 1985)

9.

NATIONAL I TY

POINTS TO MAKE IN PUBLIC

1.

in

Published draft Nationality Order in Council

White Paper on 17 October in order to give people of Hong

Kong two months to express their views before first

debate in Parliament.

Order follows exactly lines

foreshadowed in debates on Hong Kong Bill earlier this

year. Encourage people of Hong Kong to comment.

light of these comments proposals will be debated in Parliament in preliminary way before draft Order is laid

formally next year.

In

DEFENSIVE

2.

(Parliamentary time table) Cannot be certain at this

hope first debate will

place in

tak e

stage,

but

mid-December.

3.

for

(Transmissibility)

transmissibility.

Pressed hard in the negotiations

Chinese not prepared to

that

born any one

in Hong Kong

acquire BN(O) status by virtue

Hong Kong.

after June 1997

of a connection

accept

should

with

4.

a

to give right of

(Right of abode in the UK) Since 1983 right of abode in the UK goes with British citizenship. BDTCs do

not have such right.

Government do not consider

appropriate

abode to any group

i t

of

persons in Hong Kong who do not have it at present.

5.

(If BN(O)s forced to leave Hong Kong) Government has every confidence that agreement reached with Chinese

CONFIDENTIAL