TNAG-1565-FCO40-2130-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-and-passports-Hong-Kong-(Br-1986 — Page 37

MAY.02 '86 11:15 GMT HO 2 LUNAR HOUSE

E.

JM LYON

IND

B4 Division

Lunar House (Extension 2832)

2 May 1986

Mr Fittall

NTY/86 1/387/8

P/02

650

Elan 34011

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

* 6 MAY 1986

DESK OFFICER INDEX

REGISTRY

Mr Hudson Mr Woodland Mr Hyde

Mr Phillipa

Mr Pakenham-Walsh

Mr Holmes

Mr Fries

Mr Acton

PA

Action Taken:

Mr Bickham Mr Hum (FCO)

DEBATE ON HONG KONG NATIONALITY ORDER : OPENING SPEECH

The House of Commons debate on the Hong Kong Nationality Order has been arranged

for Monday 12 May. It will be a half-day debate, starting at 7 p.m, and there is

a good chance it will run through to 11.30 p.m.

Ministers may find it helpful to consider at this stage the attached draft of a

speech which, subject to their views, we propose might be used in opening the

debate. As you will see, we have concentrated on the main outstanding issues

rather than gone into too much detail on the Order itself, and we have dwelt most

fully on explaining our decision about the ethnic minorities. We suspect this

will be the main preoccupation of the great majority of speakers in the debate.

We have tried, however, to put that issue in its wider context. In particular,

we think Ministers will want to make it plain that they have listened to the views

expressed in successive Parliamentary debates and in Hong Kong, and have moved a

very long way to meet these views at all stages. We think also Ministers will

want to make it clear at the outset that we believe we have fully met our moral

commitments to the people of Hong Kong. The moral commitment is likely to be the

principal and most emotive argument put in support of the ethnic minorities, and

there may be advantage in making it clear that it is not a necessary consequence

of accepting a moral commitment that we grant the ethnic minorities British

citizenship.

The Home Secretary will no doubt wish to consider which Minister should open for

the Government. The attached draft has been prepared for the Home Secretary's use,

but it could easily be modified.

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