CONFIDENTIAL
approved not later than May 1993. This would deal only with
BN (0) cut off dates. There would be ten separate cut off dates
for different age groups at three to five month intervals starting with September 1993 for 22-26 year olds and finishing
with December 1996 for 0-4 year olds. The Governor would have
discretion to accept late applications where applicants had good reason for not applying by their appropriate cut off date. They see a further Order being made at a later date setting a single
cut off date (May 1995 or May 1996) for the acquisition of BDTC status. The scheme would require a build up to 303 additional posts in the Hong Kong Immigration Department costing an
estimated HK$ 114 million. These costs would be more than offset by revenue from passport fees of about HK$ 270 million.
COMMENTS ON SCHEME
7. We accept that something of this sort is necessary to avoid a chaotic situation in the run up to 1997, but we think the idea of having two separate Orders in Council is very unattractive. Apart from its being more efficient to deal with the matter in one go it would be advisable not to multiply opportunities for those MPs who might wish to reopen the controversial issues that were raised during the passage of the British Nationality (Hong Kong) Act 1990. (As it is, we may well need a separate Order in Council on the Hong Kong nationality scheme.) It would in any case hardly be possible to have a debate on BN (0) cut off dates without going into what was intended with regard to BDTC status.
It would be much better in our view to deal with the whole issue
at the same time.
8.
Secondly, we have doubts about the reaction in Hong Kong to the speed of introduction of the BN (0) cut off dates. Hong Kong say that the programme must start in mid-1993 to allow sufficient time for the numbers involved to be processed but we would expect an adverse reaction to the fact that the first cut off
CONFIDENTIAL
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.