§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why a Mr. Manubai Madhvani, who voluntarily relinquished British citizenship to take Ugandan citizenship and is now declared stateless, has been granted a British passport to enter and settle in Great Britain; and whether all such stateless Asians from Uganda and other countries will be granted British passports on the same basis.
§ Mr. AmeryMr. Madhvani is not stateless. He applied for Ugandan citizenship by registration and was required under Ugandan law to renounce citizenship of the United Kingdom and Colonies within a prescribed time limit, failing which he would lose Ugandan citizenship. Records at the British High Commission in Kampala show that his renunciation was made well after the time limit had expired. As he was no longer a Ugandan citizen on the effective date, and did not subsequently become one or obtain another nationality, he must be deemed under Section 2(1) of the British Nationality Act, 1964, to have remained a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies. Therefore, he was given a passport and permission to enter the United Kingdom. Passports are not being issued to stateless persons in Uganda or in any other country.