TNAG-1381-FCO40-1829-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-and-citizenship-1985 — Page 96

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PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION

Head of HKD

Please submit :

a draft Answer & Background

25 JANUARY 1985

to Parliamentary Unit

For WRITTEN ANSWER on

Text of Question:-

before NOON

THURSDAY 24 JAN.

MR IVOR STANBROOK (ORPINGTON): TO ASK THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AND COMMONWELATH AFFAIRS, WHY THE NEW CATEGORY OF BRITISH NATIONALITY (OVERSEAS) IS PROPOSED FOR HONG KONG INSTEAD OF THE EXISTING CATEGORY OF BRITISH OVERSEAS CITIZENSHIP; AND IN WHAT SIGNIFICANT RESPECTS THE FORMER DIFFERS FROM THE LATTER.

We

Mr Richard Luce.

The Government believed that the circumstances of Hong Kong are unique and should be reflected in a

unique status. There are also reasons why British

Overseas citizenship would not be an "appropriate

status" within the terms of the UK Memorandum.

example, British Overseas citizenship may be

acquired at any time by registration, but the UK

Memorandum imposes time limits on the acquisition

of the new status.

For

Skill

under devaster

considerarion,

and will

be

The benefits to be accorded to holders of the

proposed new status of "British National (Overseas)"

are/subject to parliamentary approval. The

Government intends, however, that they should be

broadly the same as those enjoyed by British

Dependent Territories citizens, except for

transmissibility, This means that there are

unlikely to be major differences under UK law in

the benefits enjoyed by holders of the proposed

British National (Overseas) status and the

existing British Overseas citizenship.

Rute Zme

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