, 23-APR-1992
$935868
IN CONFIDENCE
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€154
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with honour and with ΠΟΥ being offered is
adequate compensation. Ket what 1S 13 general scheme manifestly Less favourable than the scheme for officers affected by change and in no way comparable provided by way of general compensation elsewhere.
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AMOCS officers are rightly proud and supportive the position that MG has taken over the years in opposing Communist and other totalitarian regimes. For MG to leave Acers with no option in 1997 but => WOIK under Chinese sovereignty of 10 resign with inadequate the Loss Of thelr careers, would amount to a repudiation and rejection of their allegiance and loyalty unprecedented in the history of British service. The situation clearly calls For a general compensation scheme which on overall terms is no less favourable than the limited scheme and adequately reflects the seriousness with which the withdrawal of British sovereignty is regarded, particularly by comparison with the very real, but somewhat lesser, concerns arising from supercession for promotion
before 1997.
3.
We have limited our response at this stage to the broad issues, but there are other more detailed matters that we will wish to raise in the consultations. These include, for example, determining the date on which compensation first becomes payable, the need to recognise the special position the judiciary and the need to devise an exchange mechanism would operate neutrally and would not serve to reduce the compensation payable as is likely to be the case with che mechanism proposed in the outline general scheme. There is also of course the parallel issue of sterling guarantees for pensions that we would expect to go hand in hand with compensation, as occurred elsewhere, and that we will wish to discuss at the same time as the compensation scheme.
/9.