TNAG-1413-FCO40-1889-Future-of-Hong-Kong-annual-report-to-Parliament-on-Hong-Kong-1985 — Page 226

CONFIDENTIAL

6423

1

DRAFT ORDER ALSO MAKES PROVISIONS TO GUARD AGAINST STATELESSNESS. THE ORDER PROVIDES FOR ANY BRITISH DEPENDENT TERRITORIES CITIZENS WHO LOSE THAT STATUS ON 1 JULY 1997 AUTOMATICALLY TO BECOME BRITISH OVERSEAS CITIZENS IF THEY WOULD OTHERWISE BE STATELESS. THEIR CHILDREN BORN ON OR AFTER THAT DATE WILL ALSO BECOME BRITISH OVERSEAS CITIZENS AUTOMATICALLY AT BIRTH IF OTHERWISE STATELESS. THEIR GRANDCHILDREN WILL BE ENTITLED TO REGISTER AS BRITISH OVERSEAS CITIZENS IF BORN STATELESS. THE DRAFT ORDER WILL BE DEBATED IN A PRELIMINARY WAY ONCE THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG AND OTHER INTERESTED PARTIES HAVE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT ON IT. HER MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT WILL TAKE CAREFUL NOTE OF POINTS RAISED IN THESE DEBATES AND WILL CONSIDER IF THESE CALL FOR ANY CHANGES TO BE MADE IN THE TERMS OF THE DRAFT ORDER BEFORE IT IS RE-PRESENTED FOR APPROVAL UNDER AFFIRMATIVE RESOLUTION

PROCEDURES.

11.

AT THE SAME TIME AS THE WHITE PAPER WAS PUBLISHED HER MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCED THE ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE ISSUE OF

THIS BRITISH NATIONAL (OVERSEAS) PASSPORTS FROM 1 JULY 1987. WILL ENABLE THE PRESENT PRACTICE OF ISSUING PASSPORTS WITH A

AND TEN-YEAR VALIDITY PERIOD TO CONTINUE WITHOUT INTERRUPTION, WILL GIVE THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THIRD COUNTRIES TO GROW ACCUSTOMED TO THE NEW PASSPORTS. HER MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT WILL BE APPROACHING OTHER COUNTRIES TO EXPLAIN THE NEW PASSPORT TO

THEM ONCE THE DRAFT ORDER HAS BEEN MADE.

12. (AS PARA 7 OF HONG KONG DRAFT.)

(NEXT THREE WORDS UNDERLINED) LEGISLATION AND TREATIES (AS PARA 8 OF HONG KONG DRAFT.)

(F)

13.

D

(G)

(NEXT WORD UNDERLINED) SHIPPING

14. (AS PARA 11 OF HONG KONG DRAFT.)'

III. REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT

1

ΤΟ

15. FOR SEVERAL YEARS THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT HAS WORKED DEVELOP IN HONG KONG A GOVERNMENT STRUCTURE WHICH AT ALL LEVELS WOULD BE BOTH APPROPRIATE TO ITS NEEDS AND BASED SECURELY UPON EXISTING INSTITUTIONS: AND WHICH COULD ENDURE. 1985 SAW CHANGES AT ALL LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT, ALL FORMING PART OF A STEADY EVOLUTION TOWARDS MORE REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT.

A).

4

CONFIDENTIAL