TNAG-2932-FCO40-4207-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-British-National-(Overseas)-1993 — Page 115

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TELNO 433

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Miss Russ

79

040426

MDHOAN 2584

please guy to

Mr Kelly by tax. TOP C G DET

YOUR TELNO 709: PHASED PROGRAMME FOR REGISTERING BDTC'S AS BN (0)S AND FOR ISSUING THEM WITH PASSPORTS

1. Your paragraph 10. The Home Office are not in a position to provide a firm timetable as yet.

2.

The draft legislation cannot be finalised until the remaining Loose ends are tied up (Kelly's letter of 6 May to Ho, Security Branch about cut-off dates for children born in 1997). Once these have been resolved, the Home Office will seek final Ministerial approval for laying the Orders (this one and the Selection Scheme Order) before Parliament and will have the Orders printed. (The Home Office estimate that these two steps will take a total of a week). Once the Orders are laid before Parliament, Parliamentary scrutiny (in the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments) and approval by Commons and Lords should take place within 6 weeks at most. The Government and the Opposition will need to consider through the usual channels whether the Orders will be taken in Committee or debated on the

floor of the House.

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HKCO 340/1

1 U MAY 1993

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NEWS D

LEGAL ADVISERS

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NTCD

PS/MR GOODLAD

MR HUM

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