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standing in the way of the Government doing the right thing by its expatriate officers are as valid or as compelling as those which have been held to justify the introduction of OSAS in other dependent territories. And they see Hong Kong as being quite capable financially of meeting the cost of improved benefits (as is, of course, indeed the case) when they themselves are being required to operate 0.S.A.S. within a very tight ceiling.
6. The Department thinks it would help to give the ODM a proper understanding of this problem if Sir John Field, the HMOCS Liaisen Officer attached to the ODM, were to visit Hong Kong for discussions with expatriate Staff associations and officials.
Sir John's role is to maintain contact with the views and problems of serving HMOCS officers (he has recently been on an extended tour of the S.W. Pacific with Mr. James Morgan). But he has to stand in temporarily as Administrator of Montserrat and no visit will be possible before September or October this year.
Salary Review
7. Last year the Hong Kong Government granted increases of salary in all grades in the Civil Service averaging about 8%. As far as we can judge from here these have been accepted as a reasonable award by the Service; no dissatisfaction has been expressed to this Office or to the ODM by expatriate members of
the Service.
Education Department
8. Mr. Canning, the Deputy Director, has been appointed to succeed Mr. Gregg as Director of Education. Unofficial members of the Executive Council appear to have had some doubts about his suitability (for reasons, however, that were not clear) but
the Governor has resolved these.
9. It would seem that their doubts stemmed in part from uneasiness about the administration and organisation of the Education Department (the Minister will recall that
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Mr. Anthony Royle, MP relayed similar views following his
visit earlier this year to Hong Kong. The Governor has decided to institute an enquiry into the organisation of the Department and, with his agreement, we are hoping to arrange
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