TNAG-2970-FCO40-4249-Future-of-Hong-Kong-transfer-of-UK-related-records-from-Hong-1993 — Page 167

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Ms S Brooks, Legal Advisers

Reference

file

Transfer of UK related

бик records from

from HK.G.

cc: A C Stephens, Esq MVD

C Hayward, Esq NTCD

See HILD

забль.

or

HKB Gili

HONG KONG: TRANSFER OF RECORDS

1.

Q

Mr Stephens minuted you recently on this subject. Post-1997, the future Consulate-General in Hong Kong will deal with visa work on the same terms as would any other overseas consulate. Entry clearance departments are obligated to keep records which go back some years. For instance for visit requests for the UK for two years and for settlement in the UK for ten years. (These papers are kept at post). In Hong Kong we will wish to transfer from the Hong Kong Immigration Department to the future Consulate-General all records concerning the issue of British visas.

2. Mr Parkinson will be discussing this matter with HKID officials when he visits Hong Kong on 11 and 12 February. One of the points he will cover is whether any legal impediment exists at that end which might prevent the FCO following this course of action. He is also concerned to find out whether there is any legal impediment at this end.

3.

I cannot imagine what form such an obstacle might take, but clearly if there is anything to stop us safeguarding these records as we wish to do we need to be forewarned and to deal with the problems now.

4. It may well be that we are making a mountain out of a molehill here, but we would welcome your views.

5. As far as the records for the British Nationality Scheme are concerned, Mr Goodlad wrote last month to Mrs Tu, Chairman of the LegCo House Committee confirming that it was proposed to transfer all the records to the UK at the conclusion of the exercise, although it was still too early to say exactly where or in what form these documents would be kept. I have written separately to the Home Office asking them how they will be tackling this task. They do not anticipate any legal problems in transferring the documents.

т вишу Влад Dawsey Jones.

Deborah Barnes Jones

Hong Kong Department WH312 telno 2068

27 January 1993

brooks.transfer.NAT

JEB

CODE 18-77

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HKD. 444/2

2 7 JAN 1993

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