TNAG-2938-FCO40-4213-British-Nationality-Hong-Kong-Act-(BNHKA)-1990-operation-of--1993 — Page 66

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CONFIDENTIAL

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TO PRIORITY HONG KONG

TELNO 2

OF 041759Z JANUARY 93

INFO PRIORITY BTC HONG KONG

CONFIDENTIAL

023714 MDLOAN 4755

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BRITISH NATIONALITY (HONG KONG) ACT 1990: BRITISH LINKS POINTS

1. WE HAVE SEPARATELY TELEGRAPHED ABOUT A LETTER FROM NO 10 - HKO 340/2 (12) CONCERNING A UK COMPANY CALLED BONAS, WHOSE HONG KONG EMPLOYEES HAVE FAILED TO SECURE BRITISH PASSPORTS UNDER THE SELECTION SCHEME. ONE POINT WHICH HAS NOT SO FAR BEEN RAISED BY BONAS, (BUT COULD BE), IS THAT THE AVAILABILITY OF BRITISH LINKS POINTS UNDER THE SCHEME DID NOT PROVE OF DECISIVE BENEFIT TO THEIR EMPLOYEES. WE RECALL THAT, IN APPROVING THE PROPOSALS FOR BRITISH LINKS POINTS IN 1990, MINISTERS AGREED THAT OFFICIALS SHOULD REVIEW (IN AUTUMN 1991) THE OPERATION OF THE SCHEME IN ORDER TO SEE HOW EMPLOYEES OF BRITISH COMPANIES WERE BENEFITTING. AND MINISTERS RESERVED THE RIGHT TO CONSIDER WHAT ELSE MIGHT BE DONE TO ASSIST BRITISH COMPANIES IF THAT LOOKED TO BE NECESSARY.

BUT

2. THIS REVIEW DID NOT TAKE PLACE IN 1991 BECAUSE, AT THAT STAGE, ONLY A VERY SMALL NUMBER OF APPLICANTS HAD YET RECEIVED BRITISH CITIZENSHIP. IN FACT IT WAS ONLY BY THE END OF 1992 THAT THE NUMBER OF SUCCESSFUL APPLICANTS HAD BECOME SIGNIFICANT. WE SHALL NEED TO CONCLUDE THIS REVIEW BEFORE PROPOSALS FOR AMENDING THE SCHEME FOR THE SECOND TRANCHE ARE FINALISED, IN CASE ANY AMENDMENTS TO GIVE FURTHER BENEFIT TO EMPLOYEES OF BRITISH UNDERTAKINGS PROVE NECESSARY.

3

GRATEFUL TO KNOW IF YOU ARE IN A POSITION TO LET US KNOW WHAT PERCENTAGE OF EMPLOYEES OF BRITISH FIRMS ARE REPRESENTED IN THE LIST OF SUCCESSFUL PRINCIPAL BENEFICIARIES TO DATE. WE IMAGINE THAT AS A ROUGH GUIDE, IT WOULD BE SUFFICIENT TO RECORD THOSE WITH SIGNIFICANT BRITISH LINKS POINTS.

HURD

YYYY

RECH

D:

INDE

HKD 340/2

05 JAN 1993

dun Taker

1

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