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(3) An Order under this paragraph may be made
SO as to have effect
from the relevant date or as respects any time before or after that
date.
(4) A statutory instrument containing an
shall be subject to annulment in pursuance
House of Parliament.
Order under this paragraph
of a resolution of either
to
The effect of this amendment would be
be to enable HMG to provide by
Order in Council for the payment of pensions and other benefits
persons who are members of the Hong Kong Civil Service before 1 July
1997.
RESIST
LINE TO TAKE
•
I will now consider amendment No
The purpose of this
amendment seems to be to enable the Government to provide by Order
in Council for matters relating to members and ex-members of the
Hong Kong public service, particularly as concerns the payment of
pensions and other benefits.
The first thing to say about this
amendment is that it is not
to make provision
necessary for the purpose which I as sume the noble Lord has in mind.
The Government already has extensive powers
for
pensions and other benefits under the Overseas Pensions Act 1973.
Moreover in the extremely unlikely event that these powers were ever to prove insufficient in the case of Hong Kong, it would be possible
to amend or add to them by me ans of
paragraph as already drafted.
an Order-in-Council under
this
to
The Government remain fully alert to their responsibilities for
seeing that adequate arrangements are
are made for the payment of
pensions earned in the service of the Government. As I explained my noble friend Lord Gridley when he raised this issue during the
debate on the Second Reading, the Government consider that the agreement provides satisfactorily for the continuity of service by members of the public service in Hong Kong on terms and conditions,
including pay and pensions, no less favourable than on 30 June 1997.
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