TNAG-2198-FCO40-3152-Hong-Kong-nationality-spouses-and-widows-of-British-expatria-1990 — Page 95

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 2245

CONFIDENTIAL

TOP COPY Q DIST?

33

154573

MDHIAN 9155

#ко

RECEIVED R

DESA

34018.

EGISTRY

18 JUL 1990

OF 171116Z JULY 90

32

PERSONAL FOR MARSDEN HKD FROM GOVERNOR

INDEX

YOUR TELNO 1315 : SPOUSES OF UK CITIZEN'S

1

.

PA

I AM GRATEFUL TO MR MAUDE FOR TAKING UP THIS MATTER WITH MR LLOYD.

2. WE ARE NOT IN A POSITION TO GIVE A FULL ANSWER TO QUESTION (I) IN TUR, WHICH DEALS WITH BOTH CROWN SERVANTS AND OTHERS IN DESIGNATED SERVICE IN HONG KONG. NO FORMAL RECORD HAS BEEN KEPT OF THE NATIONALITY OF THE SPOUSES OF THOSE CROWN SERVANTS RECRUITED IN THE UK, LET ALONE OTHERS IN DESIGNATED SERVICE. WE COULD TRY TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE MARITAL STATUS OF EMPLOYEES IN DESIGNATED SERVICE IN HONG KONG, BUT THEIR NUMBER IS VERY SMALL IN COMPARISON, AND UNLIKE THOSE IN THE CIVIL SERVICE MANY DO NOT PURSUE A FULL CAREER AND ESTABLISH A FAMILY IN HONG KONG.

3. THE HOME OFFICE'S CONFUSION OVER FIGURES ARISES BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT COMPARING LIKE WITH LIKE. AS AT 1 APRIL 1990 THERE WERE 2,485 EXPATRIATE OFFICERS WORKING IN HONG KONG GOVERNMENT. THE BULK OF THEM BELONG TO THE ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICE (123) AND THE POLICE FORCE (916). (THESE TWO FIGURES VARY FROM THOSE GIVEN TO YOU BY DONALD TSANG OWING TO DIFFERENT REFERENCE DATES.)

4. 1,892 OF THE 2,485 EXPATRIATE OFFICES WERE MARRIED AS AT 1 APRIL 1990. NOT ALL OF THEM ARE BRITISH. (FOR INSTANCE 95 OF THE 156 EXPATRIATE CROWN COUNSEL EMPLOYED IN OUR LEGAL DEPARTMENT DID NOT/NOT ORIGINATE IN THE UK). SECONDLY, THE VAST MAJORITY OF THOSE MARRIED OFFICERS RECRUITED IN THE UK HAD MARRIED BEFORE 1 JANUARY 1983. THEIR SPOUSES BECAME BRITISH CITIZENS BY MARRIAGE UNDER THE BNA AND ARE NOT THE SUBJECT OF OUR CONCERN IN THIS CONTEXT. MOREOVER, A ROUGH HEAD COUNT SHOWS THAT ONLY ABOUT A THIRD OF THE MARRIED EXPATRIATE OFFICERS OF UK ORIGIN ARE MARRIED TO NON-BRITISH SPOUSES.

5. FOR ALL THESE REASONS, THE NUMBER OF SPOUSES WHO ARE LIKELY TO SEEK BRITISH CITIZENSHIP UNDER ANY NEW DISPENSATION WILL THUS BE

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