TNAG-1849-FCO40-2624-House-of-Commons-Select-Committee-on-Foreign-Affairs-enquiry-1989 — Page 74

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TRANSCRIPT X SELECT COMMITTEE OF HONG KONG

24 MAY 1989

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PHQE. DOC

AR RENTON (COFT):

I have to say that making exception for Hong Kong

BDTCS who came here as students, by granting settlement

could sEEN, and I repeat the word after 7 years of study,

again, unfair to other British national students from Commonwealth countries who come here indeed to study but to also obtain close links to the United Kingdom.

There is then the simple question of our effect on

the immigration policy.

In 1987 we had 147,000 non-EC

student admissions. The figures are not large. Only in

that year about 7,400 from Hong Kong, but I think one would have to think very clearly whether one started to

a student should become almost a accept that being here as

necessary or

a possible but automatic precursor to

settlement.

CHAIRMAN:

Could we DON mOve on to yet another category, which

the subject of very strong representation to the

Committee, namely Crown Servants.

MR PETER TEMPLE-KORRIS:

Minister, you would accept, would you not, that in dealing with Crown Servants we are dealing with an easily definable category, indeed in the categories it is one of the first ones that one automatically comes to and tries

to deal with.