TNAG-1557-FCO40-2121-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-and-passports-Hong-Kong-(Br-1986 — Page 124

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today.

to reflect them in the debate / We shall listen carefully to what your Lordships have to say, and we shall consider whether we need to amend any of the

provisions in the Order attached to the White Paper as a result. We shall

then formally lay a draft nationality Order before Easter.

5. I do not need to remind your Lordships of the importance of the Order

to the 34 million British Dependent Territories citizens in Hong Kong. The text of the White Paper and the Order was agreed with the Hong Kong Government and the Executive Council, and we have been keeping a close

eye on Hong Kong opinion on the White Paper. The Governor of Hong Kong

has sent the Government full reports of reaction in Hong Kong to the White Paper. We have taken careful note of what the people of Hong Kong have

had to say about it.

The White Paper which is before the House today provides a commentary explaining the effects of each of the Articles in the draft Order and how they fit in with the Hong Kong

Act. It is to that draft Order should now like to turn.

6.

7.

The Order can affect only those people

who are British Dependent Territories citizens by virtue of a connection with Hong Kong. Anyone who is not a British Dependent Territories citizen, or whose citizenship can be derived wholly from a connection with another dependent territory is not affected in any way by it.

But it is

not enough for the Order to refer to "a connection with Hong Kong" without defining such a connection.So Article 2 of the draft Order provides that definition. It sets out as simply and logically as possible the ways in which a person may have a connection with Hong Kong. It includes all the Hong Kong British Dependent Territories citizens listed in Annex 2 to the White Paper, although in practice the great majority of such people are such citizens by birth, hegistration

or naturalisation in Hong Kong.

Dependent Territories, citize Nevertheless, it is possible for a British /

to have a connection with Hong Kong through a number of the circumstances

set out in Article 2 and Annex 2. Annex 2 itself is not intended to form

part of the Order. It is simply intended to help people find out whether

they come within the terms of Article 2 or not.

8. Articles 2 and 3 should be read together.

with Hong Kong for the purposes of the Order:

Article 2 defines connections

Article 3 provides that

anyone who is a British Dependent Territories citizen by virtue of such

a connection shall cease to be such a citizen on 1 July 1997;

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