HKA 233/1
PS/Mr Goodlad
HMOCS CONSULTATIONS
CONFIDENTIAL
FROM: R A Burns
DATE: 20 May 1992
Cc:
PS/Mr Patten
Sir J Coles
Mr Kerby, ODA
Mr Ricketts, HKD
Mr Fish, ODA
Mr Davies, FED
Mr Fifoot
Mr Wye, RAD
1. This is a very sobering collection of papers which underline the value of an early meeting of Ministers.
2. So far we have been trying to put together a package of proposals which would achieve two objectives:
a) to honour our reasonable obligations to HMOCS officers; and
b) to bolster the Joint Declaration by devising arrangements which would ensure reasonable continuity in the public service after 1997.
On the advice of the Governor we have put forward proposals which do not now look likely to find even grudging acquiescence in Hong Kong. The Minister will want to test this further in his contacts in Hong Kong next week (and with Mr Wiggham today), but the danger is that the proposals we are putting forward will not only fail to achieve the second objective above, but in the process fail even to secure a reasonably cooperative public service in good heart up until 1997. Our first objective must be to try to maintain the stability of the public service in Hong Kong for the remaining five years of British rule. Whatever the Joint Declaration says, our ability to devise arrangements for after 1997 will have to be devised with the Chinese.
3. There are a lot of difficult issues here (eg the question of consular access for Chinese race spouses). But we must continue to keep up the pressure to extract from the Treasury, before Mr Patten goes to Hong Kong, agreement to sterling safeguards and modifications to our compensation package which will provide a better basis for arrangements
EM3ABM
CONFIDENTIAL
339