TNAG-2921-FCO40-4196-Visits-and-proposed-visits-by-Alastair-Goodlad--Minister-of--1993 — Page 62

good.NAT.JRB

MR GOODLAD'S VISIT TO HONG KONG: 7-9 JANUARY 1994

BRIEF NO,

NATIONALITY

5

Points to make if raised

ETHNIC MINORITIES

Parliament specifically considered the position of this

community during the passage of the British Nationality (Hong

Kong) 1990 Act but decided that there was no case for special

treatment. Home Office Ministers have looked again at this decision following representations from the Hong Kong Legislative Council but considered that the position of this

community was adequately protected and that there was no need for fresh legislation.

Members of the ethnic minorities are free to compete on the same basis as any other BDTCs in the British Nationality Scheme established in 1990 to give British citizenship to up to 50,000 key people in the private and public sectors of

Hong Kong without their having to leave Hong Kong. Some have

already done so and are benefiting under the Scheme.

No question of any British Dependent Territory Citizen

becoming stateless. All may retain a form of British

nationality. It is open to all British Dependent Territory

citizens to register as British National (Overseas) under the

registration programme set out in the Hong Kong British

Nationality (Amendment) Order 1993. Those who fail to

register as British National (Overseas) will automatically become British Overseas citizens if they would otherwise be

stateless.

The British Government is on record that if members of the

non-Chinese ethnic communities ever come under pressure to

leave Hong Kong in the future and have nowhere else to go,