TNAG-1567-FCO40-2132-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-and-passports-Hong-Kong-(Br-1986 — Page 51

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Latham

Apart from one or two technical and drafting amendmenta, the Order is the same

as the draft which your Lordships considered in January. I need therefore only

remind your Lordships of its essential provisions. The Order provides that those

who are British Dependent Territories citizens by virtue of a connection with Hong

Kong will lose that status in 1997, but will be entitled to acquire British National

(Overseas) status and the passport that goes with it.

6. The Order also makes provision to guard against statelessness. I should like

to make it plain straight away that there is no question of any Hong Kong British

Dependent Territories citizen becoming stateless in 1997. The Government have given that undertaking and are honouring it in full. All Hong Kong British Dependent Territories citizens will be entitled to British National (Overseas) status, in accordance with Parliament's wishes during the passage of the Hong Kong Act 1985. The draft Order provides that any British Dependent Territories citizen who has

not become a British National (Overseas) and who has no other form of British

nationality will automatically become a British Overseas citizen on 1 July 1997.

And provision is made for the children and, as this House asked, the grandchildren

of British Dependent Territories citizens to acquire British Overseas citizenship.

7.

provisions

The

debates concentrated on three particular requests made by the Hong Kong Legislative

Council. They were first, that there should be an endorsement in British National

(Overseas) passports to the effect that the holder did not require a visa or entry

certificate to visit the United Kingdom. Second, that former servicemen in Hong

Kong who fought in its defence during the second World War should be granted British

citizenship. And third, that British Dependent Territories citizens in Hong Kong

who were not ethnically Chinese and who had no other form of nationality should

be granted British citizenship in 1997 rather than British Overseas citizenship.

This last request was also made on behalf of all the ethnic minorities by the

Council of Hong Kong Indian Associations.

8. The Government considered these three requests with very great care and as the

House will know from my rt hon the Home Secretary's announcement on 23 April, We

have agreed to meet two of them.

9.

First, an endorsement will be placed in the British National (Overseas) passport.

It will read as follows: "In accordance with the United Kingdom Immigration Rules

the holder of this passport does not require an entry certificate or visa to visit