TNAG-1559-FCO40-2123-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-and-passports-Hong-Kong-(Br-1986 — Page 160

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make to be allowed to come to settle in this country.

then is the background to the Government's approach to the

issues to be addressed by the House this evening.

During the debate on the Hong Kong Bill the Government undertook

to put forward its detailed proposals for the nationality Order in good time and in a form which would allow them to be debated and if necessary amended, before the House was invited to give its approval: and this we have done. The White Paper containing the Order was published in the United Kingdom and in Hong Kong on 17 October. The 34 million British Dependent Territories Citizens inHong Kong to whom these matters are of vital interest have had a full opportunity to comment on the Order. Hon Members now have a chance

to express their views. The Government will listen carefully to these views. We shall consider particularly whether we should amend any of the provisions in the Order attached to the White Paper. And we shall then lay formally a draft

nationality Order before Easter.

We had agreed the text of the White Paper with the Hong Kong

Government and Executive Council. The Governor of Hong Kong has sent the Government full reports and we have been following very carefully the reaction in Hong Kong to the White Paper which was debated in the Hong Kong Legislative Council on 4 December 1985. During that debate members asked the British Government to do more to explain the arrangements for the new passport to third countries.

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