TNAG-1385-FCO40-1833-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-and-citizenship-1985 — Page 252

with the principle that passports flow from nationality

status, and there is no compulsion for requirement for

anyone to have a passport. In the case of Hong Kong,

the status of BN (0) cannot, in effect, be held without

the passport that goes with it.

TIMETABLE FOR IMPLEMENTATION

6.

The nationality provisions of the agreement are,

understandably, of great concern

of great concern in Hong Kong, and were

the subject of the bulk of the debates in Parliament on

the Agreement and on the Hong Kong Bill. To meet this

concern, it was agreed that a draft of a draft Order

(described as "an order with green edges") should be

submitted to Parliament for full debate. The Government

would then consider whether or not the points made

during the debates called for any changes to be made in

the draft, in SO far as these were consistent with the

Hong Kong Act. The re-draft would then be presented for

approval in the normal way.

7.

The Government stated during the course of the

debate on the Bill that it was the intention to make the

Order within a year of the Passage of the Bill (that is

by April 1986). In order to meet this deadline, and to

give time to consider any changes to the draft, it is

intended that the first debate on the draft should take

place around mid December. Hong Kong have asked for as

much time as possible to consider the draft, and prefer-

ably at least 8 weeks. To meet this request, we are

proposing that the White Paper and the draft Order should

be published by mid October. Hong Kong intend to publish

it simultaneously.

THE DRAFT ORDER

8.

The draft Order, which is at Annex 1 to the draft

White Paper attached, implements the nationality

provisions of the Agreement, and in particular those

referred to in the Schedule to the Hong Kong Act 1985

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3.