TNAG-1844-FCO40-2619-House-of-Commons-Select-Committee-on-Foreign-Affairs-enquiry-1989 — Page 68

EE

ac MAR 189 19:13

FROM COT TECH PADIC

TO FCO NEWS

PASC.007

TRAISCRIPT C HONG KONG SELECT COMMITTEX MEETING

26.

B+B

22 MAR 89

CHAIRMAN:

Yes,

I think we shall want to pursue the question uf political groupinge when we speak to the Governor this afternoon.

Could wE

now turn in the Committee to what has been one of

the anst hotly debated issues of all and that is the question of nationality, which of course is associated with the issue of emigration, which again we shall be questioning the Governor on later, but on the nationality matter Ir Jopling will have some

pointy to put

* JOPLING:

Foreign Secretary, I do not suppose you are surprised to

know that this is the issue over which the Committee nas naɑ the

greatest number of submissious. e detect a good deal of unhappiness in Hong Kong over the Government's refusal to grant full British citizenship to the holders of Hong Kong British Dependent Territory Citizenship and also to the introduction instead of the British Nationality Overseas Status which, like the BDTC, does not grant right of abode in the United Kingdon and is

not transferable.

Before I ask you questions about the matter of right of

abude, I would just like to ask you some questions about the BNO

passports. We understand from the Nemorandum which has come to us

from the Hong Kong Government that only 18 percent of applications

for Hong Kong British Passports have been for the BIO passports.