TNAG-2940-FCO40-4216-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-ethnic-minorities-1993 — Page 26

(d)

Pan's spiri

Tis the

Jismuted

4.

How Office

going po

Fees

We

Over

The

Differential

see difficulty differential fees for passports. It is 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 a BN(0) passport.

of setting

fees is

Fee done by Consular

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 (0) passport over time in order to encourage its early take up, would have the desired effect, even if this were legally permissible. If the 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

The Hong Kong Department of the Foreign Office have asked us to give particularly careful consideration to this

option.

Mr Goodlad's latest letter to Mr Wardle in fact

puts forward three variants:-

(a)

(b)

(c)

The

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.

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.

6