TNAG-1382-FCO40-1830-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-and-citizenship-1985 — Page 181

CONFIDENTIAL

HKK 040/4.

11 AR MOS

7/3/2

157

PS/ME WCO Murste

Lace

FROM: A C Galsworthy, HKD

DATE:

7 March 1985

HONG KONG BILL:

Cc:

PS/Lady Young

Dr Wilson

Mr Burrows, Legal Advisers

Mr Grainger, Legal Advisers

Miss Veale, NTD

TRANSMISSIBILITY OF BOC STATUS

1.

We need to agree with the Home Office a line on the

transmissibility of BOC status to the descendants of non-Chinese

former BDTCs in Hong Kong, if possible before the Committee Stage of

the Hong Kong Bill in the House of Lords on 14 March. We understand

that an amendment to the Bill will be proposed in the Lords by

Baroness Vickers with the support of the Bishop of Birmingham

not yet seen

Lady Young suggested to

it.

on

this point, though we

we have

me that such an amendment might conceivably be carried in the Lords.

Since there

would be considerable sympathy for it in the Commons,

this could cause us a lot of trouble.

2. We have already agreed to grant BOC status automatically to:

a) those non-Chinese BDTCs in Hong Kong who do not acquire BN(0)

status

and

1 July 1997 and would otherwise be stateless;

b) the first generation of children born after 1 July 1997 to

non-Chinese former BDTCs who would otherwise be stateless.

A

22

3.

We have been pressed by EXCO to grant ВОС status to the second

generation of such people. There has also been parliamentary

pressure to give a fair deal to

further generations.

Mr Luce took

CONFIDENTIAL