§ 47. Sir John Rodgersasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to provide that a British woman married to a non British subject has the right to pass on her British nationality to her children born abroad.
§ Mr. JohnThe Government said in the Green Paper on British nationality law—Cmnd. 6795—that they favoured altering the law to enable women to transmit citizenship on the same terms as men; but they do not contemplate introducing legislation in the present Session of Parliament.
254WAs the hon. Member will have seen from my right hon. Friend's reply to a question by my hon. Friend the Member for Holborn and St. Pancras, South (Mrs. Jeger) on 7 February—[Vol. 962. c. 203–4]—we are making changes in our general policy in dealing with applications for the registration of minor children as citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies, which will be of help to some United Kingdom-born mothers with children born overseas.
§ Mr. Canavanasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average time taken by his office to deal with an application for British nationality.
§ Mr. JohnApplications for citizenship are of different types, some needing more inquiries and consideration than others. The average length of time is about 13 to 14 months but some applications take considerably longer and many of the more straightforward ones are dealt with in three to four months.