TNAG-2198-FCO40-3152-Hong-Kong-nationality-spouses-and-widows-of-British-expatria-1990 — Page 229

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REGISTRY Action Taken

HONG KONG: SPOUSES OF BRITISH EXPATRIATES

AND WIDOWS OF HONG KONG EX SERVICEMEN

6

Thank you for your minute earlier today about the line to take in Hong Kong if you are asked about the Government's position on spouses of British expatriates and the widows of Hong Kong ex-servicemen.

As I explained in my letter of 15 December I could not agree to meet the main demand, which is to grant British citizenship to the spouses of expatriates living in Hong Kong. However, because of the particular concern about their position if the expatriate died, I was prepared to offer an assurance to admit widows or widowers. In view of the controversy which the Hong Kong package has aroused I do not want to announce this concession until the Second Reading of the Hong Kong Bill. I therefore propose to reply to Conservatives Abroad, and others who have raised this point with me, that the Hong Kong package will not include the amendment to the British Nationality Act 1981 they have suggested to allow the spouses of British citizens in Hong Kong to acquire British citizenship. These spouses already have the assurance of knowing that if at any time the family wishes to come to the United Kingdom they may accompany the British citizen and settle here. While working on the Hong Kong package we will consider if any further arrangement under immigration provisions is necessary to protect their position.

I do not think we can take a different line in Hong Kong from that which we take here. If you were to say that the Government was prepared to offer an assurance to widows or widowers in Hong Kong I should be obliged to announce that in Parliament. This would be very awkward, particularly in view of the meeting with MPs on 15 January. I should therefore be grateful if you could take the line I have suggested above.

As you say,

ex-servicemen and their families have already been promised favourable treatment. The servicemen may be able to register as British citizens under Section 4(5) of the 1981 Act and even if that is not possible, they have an assurance that they and their dependants may come to the United Kingdom for settlement. Difficulties would only arise for the wife of a serviceman who died before he became a British citizen or came here. Although the arguments for giving this group special treatment are different from those for expatriate spouses we may well be able to extend the concession we have agreed for widows and widowers to cover this small group. We will need to give further thought to the exact terms of the concession to ensure that we are covering all those, but only those, whom we wish to benefit.

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