TNAG-2930-FCO40-4205-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-British-National-(Overseas)-1993 — Page 34

RESTRICTED

Parliamentary slippage. Any delay will cut into the time-

table for the phased registration of BDTCs as BNOS and will reduce the time available for advance publicity. The Home Office were originally expecting to present the Orders in April, we hope that this might still be possible (the timing

of the Easter recess, 2-14 April, does not rule it out); we would certainly not want to see the date slip later than May.

Second Tranche of Selection Scheme

7.

The adjustments to the second tranche were proposed by Hong Kong, based on their experience (together with a Home Office team) of administering the first tranche. As the Home

Secretary's letter and its Annex make clear, the main effect

of the Order will be to ensure that all 50,000 places are

taken up, by enabling the transfer of unused places between the four different classes (general occupational class, disciplined service class, entrepreneur class and sensitive service class). The new quotas set for individual groups will take into account both their recent emigration rate and also their application rate in the first tranche.

7.

We agree with the Home Office that the second tranche of

the scheme should be the last. The adjustments detailed in the Home Secretary's letter cause us no problems. In particular we agree

-

-

and submitted in this sense on 12

February that there should be no change to the present arrangements for assigning points for British links (50 for a connection to a British firm).

Jian

J C Morris

sub.orders.NAT

JEB

RESTRICTED