TNAG-2191-FCO40-3128-Hong-Kong-nationality-package-1990 — Page 142

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give scope for judicial review in the UK.

But the paper does not do justice to the arguments in favour of the

scheme; these are:

i) British companies are enthusiastic about it. The British Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong have confirmed their desire to participate (see BTC Hong Kong telno 59);

ii) Its attraction is that it offers companies the virtual

certainty of an assurance for their key people provided they are prepared to make the effort;

iii) By benefitting British companies in Hong Kong and Hong Kong

companies willing to forge British links, the scheme can be seen

to be furthering British business interests and Anglo-Hong Kong

links generally;

iv) We have been encouraging firms to lobby on behalf of the package as a whole on the basis that the Approved Secondment

Scheme is something from which they personally can benefit. If

the scheme is now dropped, then we will have been encouraging them on a slightly false basis;

v) The scheme was announced by the Secretary of State on

20 December. It would be embarrassing to drop it now, but more

importantly, for the reasons above, it is likely that we would

be criticised by the business lobby for doing so.

(b) Occupational Groups

3. The Home Secretary is concerned about any of the assurances

going to lower skilled groups and wishes to exclude from the package

the broad occupational groups with an emigration rate of 1% or less.

Under HKG's proposed scheme, the majority of people in these groups

would have less than a 0.5% chance of success. This proposal would

eliminate over 2 million people out of 2.6 million, or 78% of the

KIPACM (2)

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