TNAG-2944-FCO40-4220-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-dependants-wives-and-widow-1993 — Page 99

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GOVERNMEnt secRETARIAT

LOWER ALBERT ROAD

HONG KONG

布政司署

香港下层舉道

港下亞風

(57) in SBCR 4/2091/86 Pt 3

*73W OUR Ref +

KAM Your Ref

31 August 1993

Deborah Barnes Jones

London SW1A 2AH

United Kingdom

Foreign & Commonwealth Office

него 340 18

RECE

31 AUG 1993

DESP

INDER

Dear

Debere,

i

British Citizenship for wives and widows of Ex-servicemen

Thank you for your letter of 25 August on the above. However, the fairly hard and decisive line in it, which we had to give to the press on enquiry this week-end (Liberation holiday) seems to conflict with the report of the Crown Solicitor on retum from leave today, attached.

Can we take it that after the Crown Solicitor's representations we can soften the line? I will probably need to report to the Nationality Sub-committee on 14 September when they next meet (on Schengen et al largely). It would be nice if I could at least say that the Home Office were reconsidering the interpretation of "substantial" (i.e. could allow 'taken', say two weeks). might not meet the demands of LegCo but it might meet the reasonable expectations of those involved, or at least of those of the public following the issue.

Yous aye

(Simon Vickers)

for Secretary for Security

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