address the concerns expressed by your members and other civil service staff associations. While full funding of
pensions has been ruled out for financial reasons, careful
consideration is being given to other possibilities,
including partial funding of pensions, higher commutation of
pensions and the establishment of a provident fund.
We
You also express concern about the Chinese attitude to
the nationality package. We shall continue to discuss this
issue with the Chinese Government. As we have made clear
many times, our only aim is to provide assurances to keep
people in Hong Kong who are of crucial importance to maintaining its stability and properity in the long run. hope that in time the Chinese Government will come to accept
that this is our sole objective. In the meantime, we and
the Hong Kong Government will continue to do all we can to
promote confidence in the Civil Service in recognition of
its vital role in maintaining Hong Kong's stability and
prosperity in the crucial years up to 1997.
Peter Tibber
Private Secretary to
Earl of Caithness
MATAAJ/2