TNAG-1849-FCO40-2624-House-of-Commons-Select-Committee-on-Foreign-Affairs-enquiry-1989 — Page 47

24 MAY 89 23:26

FROM COI TECH RADIO

TRANSCRIPT J: SELECT COMMITTES RE HONG KONG

N

24 MAY 1989

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PAGE.011/056

MR. TIN RENTON (CONTD):

There is an actual sense of advantage in BOC status

in that it does transmit

you can transfer it down to two

generations beyond the original receiver.

But obviously, after 1997, you could not go on issuing to people resident in Hong Kong British National Overseas Passports, because resident in Hong Kong, they would potentially have ceased to be British nationals.

In immigration terms and the routes to British citizenship, they are virtually identical.

MR. DENNIS CANAVAN:

There is no difference, in other words, in terms of right of abode in this country or in terms of freedom of

movement or anything?

KR. TIK REĦTON:

No, virtually identical.

MR. DENNIS CANAVAN;

You say in your memorandum that you do not believe that the powers under the Hong Kong Act which created BNO

status could be used again so

as to give BIOS entitlement

to right of abode or British citizenship because the

powers are confined by paragraph 21b of the schedule of

the Hong Kong Act.