TNAG-2381-FCO40-3460-Hong-Kong-nationality-British-Nationality-(Hong-Kong)-Act-19-1991 — Page 17

UNCLASSIFIED

UNCLASSIFIED

FM BTC HONG KONG

TO IMMEDIATE F C O

TELNO 372

ADVANCE COPY

OF 20010OZ DECEMBER 91

AND TO IMMEDIATE DTI

130041

MDADAN 2161

PERSONAL FOR RICKETTS, HKD AND LOVE, OT2, DTI1

HONG KONG PASSPORT SCHEME AND BRITISH UNDERTAKINGS

1. I AM UNDER CONSIDERABLE PRESSURE FROM THE HKG TO CLEAR THE OUTSTANDING UNDERTAKINGS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. SINCE NEW COMPANY NAMES KEEP GETTING ADDED TO THE LIST (TAKEN FROM PASSPORT APPLICATION FORMS), AND SINCE THE RESIDUE NAMES TEND TO BE THE MOST DIFFICULT, CLEARING THE OUSTANDING NAMES IS NOT EASY. NEVERTHLESS THIS HAS TO

BE DONE AND IT BECOMES INCREASINGLY URGENT.

2.

I SHOULD BE GRATEFUL THEREFORE IF THE 299 COMPANIES SUBMITTED FOR ENDORSEMENT UNDER COVER OF OUR LETTER ECO 014/8 OF 14 NOVEMBER

COULD BE CLEARED VERY URGENTLY. GETTING THESE NAMES BACK TO THE HKG

AS APPROVED WILL MAKE A CONSIDERABLE IMPACT.

AFTER

GRATEFUL

3=

MANY OF MY STAFF ARE AGAIN WORKING FULL-TIME ON THE EXERCISE AND

I HOPE TO BE IN A POSITION TO PUT BEFORE THE COMMITTEE THE GREAT

MAJORITY OF OUTSTANDING COMPANIES COVER 500) VERY SHORTLY.

THAT THEY WILL BE SENT TO YOU BY FACSIMILE FOR ENDORSEMENT.

IF THEY COULD THEN BE TREATED WITH EXTREME URGENCY. IN THE MEANTIME I WOULD BE GRATEFUL FOR ANYTHING YOU CAN DO TO LET ME HAVE ENDORSEMENT OF THE 299 COMPANIES VERY URGENTLY AND CERTAINLY WITHIN THE NEXT FEW DAYS. THE DELAYS IN IMPLEMENTING THIS SCHEME ARE CAUSING CONCERN AND ATTRACTING SOME ADVERSE COMMENT. I AM ANXIOUS TO

AVOID BEING VULNERABLE TO CRITISM OVER DELAYS IN OUR CONTRIBUTION.

HEAP

YYYY