TNAG-1844-FCO40-2619-House-of-Commons-Select-Committee-on-Foreign-Affairs-enquiry-1989 — Page 71

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TRAESCRIPT C BONG KONG SELECT COMMITTER MEETLIG 22 MAR 89

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POREICH SECRETARY.

Yes, I think that it is not really very possible or helpful

to make direct comparisons of that kind, bot so much because the

Nationality Law of countries differs one from to the other,

although certainly Portuguese Nationality Law does differ from

and constitutional ours, but because of the underlying historical

reasons.

And the most important historical fact about this country's

Immigration and Citizenship Law was that which was shaped between

1952 and 1962 and 1971 and 1981 in which, having started life as a

country proclaiming a common imperial citizenship, and I can

remember in my Sunday School days or perhaps a bit later than

that, talking about quiwis Britannicusum (phon) which we all know

was fine until a huge chunk of the world's population began

exercising it.

And the putting in place of our Immigration Legislation has

been a crucial change which was applied in the end in relation to

all dependent territories and all ex-dependent territories, ex

Commonwealth countries, and it is for that reason, I think,

the 1960 changes in the law bad that effect on the people of Hong

Kong

that

And I continue to believe today, as I set out in the

Memorandum, that although certainly we hear the calls that come from Hong Kong for change, I do not believe it would be realistic to think in terms of presenting to this Parliament a piece of legislation providing for the automatic right of abode in Britain