•
E.k.
Following that debate, the Council issued a letter on 3 January
asking the Government to make some amendments. They asked for
3N(0) passports to be endorsed to the effect that the holder
did not need entry clearance to come to the United Kingdom for
a visit. And they supported the request by the non-ethnic
Chinese minorities in Hong Kong - that is those that are not
ethnically Chinese - that they, as well as a small number of
former servicemen in Hong Kong should be granted British
citizenship. The Legislative Council passed a formal motion
on 8 January asking the Hong Kong Government to urge the British
Government to implement these proposals. No doubt many of your
Lordships will wish to reflect on the Legislative Council's
views today. 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 as a result. We shall then
formally lay a draft Nationality Order before Easter.
Turning to the Order itself it affects only those people who are
British Dependent Territories citizens by virtue of a connection
with Hong Kong. But it is necessary for the Order to define
what is meant by "A connection with Hong Kong". Article 2
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, and it includes all the Hong Kong British Dependent
Territories citizens listed in Annex 2 to the White Paper.
Annex 2 itself is simply intended to help people find out whether
they come within the terms of Article 2 or not.
Articles 2 and 3 should be read together. Article 2 defines
connections with Hong Kong for the purposes of the Order:
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.
/Article 4 is concerned....
Page 15Page 16
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.