CONFIDENTIAL
Alan Paul Esq Head of HKD
FCO
130
BRITISH TRADE COMMISSION
HKD 3404
HONG KONG.
18 March 1991
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Mr yox Mr Morrin
Den Alan,
STEERING COMMITTEE ON THE BRITISH NATIONALITY SCHEME
1. As you will know the Steering Committee met on 14 March.
2.
Among the papers discussed was that giving the breakdown of figures for applications received as at 13 March. I assume you will already know that 65,751 applications were received by then. Only the OGO1 managers and administrators category was at the end under-subscribed. One new explanation for the short-fall in that category was aired and some thought it a major factor. This is the need for those applying as managers and administrators to declare their income and for this to be verified by the income tax authorities, whereas those applying within their own professional groups, eg engineers, lawyers, architects etc did not have to declare their income. All these groups were heavily over-subscribed.
3. I offered the Committee my apprehensions on one aspect of the paper on possible modalities for tie-breaking. Ι suggested that heavy emphasis on the further use of the age factor was not the best approach, since age already featured so large in the process. Lydia Dunn and others agreed with
that.
4. There was also some discussion on the personality check requirement, the subject of another paper considered by the Committee. There was inconclusive discussion on the issue of those who might be debarred because of reports of poor character "not amounting to a criminal conviction". Several, including myself, suggested that this should be a sparingly- used provision, but Alistair Asprey said that these and like provisions were largely there because of the insistence of the Home Office. There was also discussion of how to apply the proposed criterion of "involvement in political activity for or on behalf of a foreign country". Sir D Ford thought
/that this. ...
CONFIDENTIAL
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