From The Minister of State
The Hon Francis Maude MP
Bowen Wells Esq MP House of Commons London SW1A OAA
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
London SW1A 2AH
23 October 1989
MiCD 340/6.
Sea Baven,
Thank you for your letter of 6 October to John Major about Hong Kong.
I am well aware of the difficulties inherent in any scheme to give some Hong Kong people the right of abode in the UK on a selective basis. It will be particularly important to ensure that the criteria for selection are fair and defensible and to minimise the divisive effect of any scheme. These are complex matters and we have decided that it would be wrong to make rushed decisions before we had examined the problem thoroughly.
I do not agree that, because of these difficulties, we should not do what we can to help, within the limits of what is practicable. A scheme is now anxiously awaited in Hong Kong. We are aiming to make an announcement as soon as possible, but this will not be for some weeks yet.
Francis Maude
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