§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the current position he has arranged with other countries issuing passports to Hong Kong residents.
§ Mr. MaudeWe have for some months been encouraging our friends and partners to follow our lead in providing assurances to Hong Kong people to give them the confidence to remain in the territory. A few countries are already taking action of this kind; the other countries that we have approached have undertaken to consider our proposal.
§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what negotiations he has had with the Chinese authorities to ensure that they honour passports issued before 1997 to Hong Kong residents when that country takes over the colony.
§ Mr. MaudeWe have had a number of discussions with the Chinese authorities on nationality questions. We have made it clear to the Chinese authorities that the granting of British citizenship to certain Hong Kong residents falls408W entirely within the competence of the British Government, and is consistent with the provisions of the 1984 joint declaration.