VISCOUNT CRANBORNEMy Lords, I beg to ask His Majesty's Government a question of which I have given private notice: whether they have any statement to make with regard to the law relating to the nationality of married women.
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR DOMINION AFFAIRS (VISCOUNT ADDISON)My Lords, I thank the noble Viscount for asking me this question, and I am glad to inform the House that agreement has now been reached between the United Kingdom Government and the Governments of Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa as to the principles on which legislation governing the nationality of married women should be based. The principles accepted by the five Governments are that the law should provide in effect that a British woman on marriage to a foreigner, whether she does or does not acquire his nationality under the law of his country, shall not lose her British nationality unless she takes some active step to renounce it; and that a foreign woman on marriage to a British subject shall not automatically acquire British nationality, but shall have the right to apply for it, subject to the exercise by the Minister concerned of a discretion as to the grant or refusal of the application.
It is contemplated that a conference of experts should be convened later this year to examine various questions affecting nationality law in the several countries of the Commonwealth. This conference will afford an opportunity of considering the detailed provisions required for effecting the changes now agreed upon in the law relating to the nationality of married women.