TNAG-1561-FCO40-2125-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-and-passports-Hong-Kong-(Br-1986 — Page 63

Treasury Chambers

Parliament Street London SW1P 3AG

Telex 262405

R E Escritt Esq

Finance Department

Telephone Direct Line 01-233

Please

Switchboard 01-233 3000

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Old Admiralty Building

Whitehall

і майтал

to

357

met

сору M Marelin (NTD) Mo Hill (HK)) Miss Kays (Coumlar )) My McDougall (MU)))

Your reference

Our reference

Date

then return to me

March 1986

修

London SW1

Deas Richard

Dfotel Teltolic

не

Jekpse

with prew.pps

parmı213

что

HONG KONG: ISSUE OF BRITISH NATIONAL (OVERSEAS) PASSPORTS

275

Thank you for your letter of 21 February.

I accept that it would be difficult for HMG to sustain a case for retaining the profit from the issue of BN (0) passports. Although in a strict legalistic sense, one could argue that there is a clear distinction between the Governor acting on his own behalf and acting as an agent of the Secretary of State and therefore it does not follow that the financial benefit the Hong Kong government have become accustomed to should necessarily continue, in practice they will still issue passports and collect the fees (albeit for a different type of passport). It would be hard to justify penalising the Hong Kong government because of the Communist Chinese government's sensitivity over colonialism.

There can, of course, be no question of the UK Government at any time making up the "profit" the Hong Kong government will have to forego because

the lower fee to be charged under

of

the UK Consular Fees Order.

Yours Sicech

вит нев

B NELSON

ник особи

RECEIVED REGISTRY

19 MAR 1986

DESK OFFICER

INDEX

PA

REGISTRY Action Taken