TNAG-1567-FCO40-2132-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-and-passports-Hong-Kong-(Br-1986 — Page 66

HONG KONG ORDER IN COUNCIL

BRIEFING NOTE

FALKLAND ISLANDS

BACKGROUND

EFFECT OF THE BRITISH NATIONALITY ACT 1981 ON THE

FALKLAND ISLANDERS

1.

The British Nationality Act 1981 did not affect

the position of the Falkland Islanders. The Islanders,

numbering about 1,800, were previously citizens of the

United Kingdom and Colonies. About 1,400 of them had

right of abode under the Immigration Act 1971 because

of their ancestral connections with the United Kingdom.

The remaining 400 did not have the right of abode. On

1 January 1983 the 1,400 with right of abode became

British citizens as well as British Dependent Territori

citizens automatically under the BNA 1981. The

remainder became British Dependent Territories citizens

only. During the Passage of the 1981 Bill Baroness

Vickers introduced an amendment which would give all

Falkland Islanders British citizenship. This was lost

by one vote. The Government took the view agreed by

Parliament that it would be wrong to make a

distinction between one dependency and the others.

they gave assurances that in the event of any emergency

the problems of any of the Islanders who did not have

the right of abode would be sympathetically considered.

This commitment was honoured at the outbreak of the

conflict with Argentina, when the Government announced

that no Falkland Islander would have any difficulty in

coming to the UK whether he had right of abode or not.

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BARONESS VICKERS BILL

2.

In 1981 Robert Kilroy-Silk sponsored a Bill to

amend the BNA 1981 so as to give the Falkland Islanders

British citizenship. Sponsorship was taken over by

Lord Donington, and subsequently by Baroness Vickers.