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assurances available for the GAS will be allocated between occupational groups according to a formula based on their respective emigration rates over the past two years, and the
overall size of the group.
15. HKG would strongly prefer all 31 occupational groups
to have some allocation, So that all sectors of the
economically active population would be eligible to apply
for British citizenship and they argue that any distribution
which excluded whole occupational groups or particular
Occupations within these groups would be divisive and
difficult to present in Hong Kong. In their view, all sectors have some 'key' people. They would, however, apply a subjective "modification factor" to reduce the number of
places which would otherwise be allocated to the groups with
a relatively low skill level, to take account of the ease
with which those leaving would be replaced. Their
proposals, set out in Annex C2, show the suggested
allocation after a 0.25 modification factor has been applied
to the five groups at the bottom of the list.
16.
Although over 2 million (73%) of Hong Kong's working
population fall within these five groups, and HKG's proposals would allocate them just 12% of the places, I am
deeply concerned about any of the assurances going to lower
skilled groups. We have offered assurances with the
intention that they would go to genuinely key people who are
needed in Hong Kong but who would also bring benefit to the
UK if, contrary to expectation, they decided to come here.
Although it would mean substituting our definition of who
are key personnel for the Governor's, and would effectively
rule out some employees of British concerns (PSA, British
Trade Commission, British Council and the Garrison
below. I propose that we should exclude from the scheme at
least those groups with an emigration rate of 1% or lower,
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see
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