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about the inclusion of this Group would be made in Hong Kong in the run up to the second tranche.
British links
7. You and colleagues will also wish to note that Hong Kong recommend no change to the provisions for British links points for the second tranche. When the scheme was approved in 1990, Ministers agreed that a maximum of 50 points should be awarded for British connections, but that officials should monitor the operation of the Scheme to consider whether anything more needed to be done for employees of British firms. Hong Kong tell us that, of the 55,606 applicants in the relevant category (the general occupational class), 10,400 were employees of British undertakings. They estimate that about 6,200 of these will be successful under the selection scheme. This represents a success rate of 60%, which is higher than that of the Private Sector as a whole (53%). Current employees of British firms represent 19% of private sector applicants, but account for 22% of the places allocated under the general occupational class. These statistics demonstrate that British links points have worked as they were intended to: to give key personnel in British undertakings a significant advantage over equally-qualified applicants from non- British firms. Hong Kong advise and I agree, that there is therefore no need to amend the points scheme in respect of British links.
8. Hong Kong propose, and I agree, that the second phase of the Scheme be the last and that an announcement be made to this effect in due course. There are in our view too few places left to warrant further phases; there will be too little time left for another phase after the second tranche applications have been processed; and it seems to us that few people will leave it until 1996 to emigrate if they have that intention and have not by then secured an insurance policy.
9. FCO's judgement is that the Chinese are unlikely to react to
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