TNAG-2373-FCO40-3448-Hong-Kong-nationality-UK-passport-scheme-British-Nationalit-1991 — Page 94

Mr Paul, Hong Kong Department

HKD 340/4

RECEIVED

"egis

1 1 MAR 1991

DESK DIFFICER INDEX

PA

Hong Kong

The Secretary of State has seen Gerald Segal's article in this morning's Guardian in which he claims there have been applications for less than 10% of the available places under the Nationalities Scheme. This is wrong and the Secretary of State believes that we need to correct this impression. Indeed, he thinks that the outcome of the Scheme has so far been reasonably satisfactory.

I should be grateful for your advice, coordinated with News Department, on how to tackle this. One possibility would be for News Department to give on the record briefing or a press statement on the Scheme. Another alternative would be for someone to write to the Guardian correcting their mistake. I should be grateful for urgent views on this. If we are to write to the Guardian we will need to do so very quickly.

5 March 1991

CC:

PS

PS/Lord Caithness PS/PUS

Mr McLaren

Mr Burns

Mr Cornish, News Dept

Special Advisers

1

(S L Gass)

99