TNAG-1849-FCO40-2624-House-of-Commons-Select-Committee-on-Foreign-Affairs-enquiry-1989 — Page 116

21. In general, the Home Secretary expects applicants for citizenship to meet fully the statutory requirements as to residence.

Each case,

however,

is looked at on its merits at the time when the application is made, and the Home Secretary is prepared to exercise his discretion flexibly with regard to

periods of absence.

citizenship

Territories

22. Since the 1981 Act came into force on 1 January 1983, 14,544 grants of

have been made under section 4(2) to British Dependent

citizens, British Nationals (Overseas), British Overseas

citizens, British subjects and British protected persons. 1,565 of those

March 1989. Our records grants relate to BDTCs in the period October 1986 do not enable us to single out grants of citizenship to BDTCs from Hong Kong.

Crown service in a Dependent Territory

who has at

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23. Under section 4(5) of the 1981 Act the Home Secretary may, in the

special circumstances of an applicant's case, register as a British citizen

any applicant

any time served in Crown Service under the

Government of a Dependent Territory; or who has undertaken paid or unpaid

service as a member of any body in a Dependent Territory whose members are

appointed by the Crown.

24. A number of representations have been made recently to the effect that the Government should be much more generous in granting citizenship under

section 4(5) of the 1981 Act to those who are in Crown service in Hong Kong.

Section 4(5) was introduced in the Bill in response to representations from

Hong Kong. It allows the Home Secretary, in the special circumstances of an applicant's case, to grant British citizenship without prior residence in the UK to any applicant who is, or has been, in service to which the section

applies. It was made clear during the

that the the Bill passage of discretion to grant citizenship under this section would be used sparingly

and that we would look for personal connections with the UK.

would look for an exceptional level of service. There is no question of

citizenship being regarded as part of the regular emoluments of Crown

servants in the dependencies; but the Government thought it right that

section 4(5) should indicate that Crown service in the dependencies could in

some circumstances be recognised as benefiting the UK itself. The reference

Above all, we

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