TNAG-2933-FCO40-4208-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-British-National-(Overseas)-1993 — Page 9

(d)

this option

dismissed

4.

this is the

Fees

We

see difficulty

It is

over

Differential differential fees for passports.

doubtful

whether it would be possible to increase the fee for a Hong Kong BDTC passport without increasing it for BDTCS everywhere else. Instead one would probably have to lower the fee for

The a BN (0) passport.

fees is setting of

done by Consular Fee Order. Changes in the basis of fee setting would need to be put to the Treasury. We doubt, however, whether such a reduction on its own, or gradually increasing the price of the BN (O) passport over time in order to encourage its early take up, would have the desired effect, even if this were legally permissible. prospect of increases in fee encouraged an early rush that in itself would create logistical problems. A phased programme is far the better option.

Concurrent holding of BN(O) and BDTC passports

us

If the

The Hong Kong Department of the Foreign Office have asked this to give particularly careful consideration to option. Mr Goodlad's latest letter to Mr Wardle in fact puts forward three variants:-

| (a)

Home office going for

(b)

(c)

allowing BDTCs to hold a BDTC and BN(0) passport

concurrently;

post-dating the entry into force of the BN(0)

passport; or

registering the applicants but holding back the issue of the passport.

The third of these, however, is unacceptable for the reasons set out in paragraph 3(c) above. Foreign Office are particularly keen that we should examine the first two because in their view allowing BDTCS to retain their BDTC passport while registering as BN (0)s in accordance with the programme would take the heat out of the controversy.

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