FCO_53_477_NATURALISATION_IN_HONG_KONG_POLICY_1976 — Page 13

o'k offe

Mr O'Keeffe (HKIOD)

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Reference....

GN 1/1

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NATURALISATIONS IN HONG KONG

RECHIVIO I

RBG

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6 AUG 975

Whats

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1. I ought to draw your attention to the last paragraph of the Governor's despatch of 6 June n-file GNN 8/393/10.

2. In paragraph 10 of his Secret and Personal letter of 14 December 1972 to the Governor (file HKK 22/3) Mr Wilford gave reasons why the view was then taken that it might be best to reduce the number of naturalisations in Hong Kong. The Governor's reply dated 31 January 1973 and the subsequent correspondence are on file HKK 22/1. The upshot was that the Governor agreed that the number of approved applications for naturalisation should if possible ordinarily show an annual reduction during the next six or seven years.

3. On 16 February 1974 Nr Lloyd wrote from Hong Kong (your file HKK 18/10 not attached) to point out that the staff normally engaged on vetting applicants for naturalisation were, during 1973, engaged on other work and that this had resulted in a very considerable reduction in the number of applications for naturalisation which were granted in that year. According to Mr Stuart's minute of 27 February 1974 he wrote back to Mr Lloyd agreeing that, for presentational reasons, it might be necessary, if questioned, to quote the number of naturalisations granted in periods other than calendar years.

4.

With the rate at which certificates of naturalisation are now being sent to us (200 or so in the last two months) there will certainly be a steep rise in the 1975 figures from the low of 1973. What does not seem to have been considered in the past is that it is quite easy to pick up the number of naturalisations, and registrations effected in Hong Kong from figures published annually by the Home Office in a White Paper entitled Statistics of Persons Acquiring Citizenship of the United Kingdom and Colonies. Although the figures are broken down by the countries of origin of the persons naturalised or registered, rather than by the country or territory where the naturalisation or registration has been granted, by far the largest numbers in the appropriate table are shown against "China" and it is obvious that virtually all of these must relate to Hong kong. The figures during the past few years are as follows:

Year

1969

1970

1971

1972

1973 1974

Naturalisations

1,185

1.410

852

649

451 544

Registrations

993 1,007

847

767

675

881

CODE 18-77

5.

It would not of course be possible for the Home Office to juggle with the periods to which their figures relate in order to present them in the best light and unless the Governor could be persuaded to adopt extremely stringent criteria for the grant of naturalisation or

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