TNAG-0283-FCO40-319-Exchange-of-officers-between-government-of-Hong-Kong-and-UK--1970 — Page 74

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MINUTE ( E-vh-WARE)

NOTE ON THE COLONIA BEACHCEMBER SCHEME

HOME CIN WESTERN PACIFIC EXPATRIATE STRAP SALATIE'S

Mr.

nett

With reference to No. 1 and your endorsement on it, a note about the terms applicable to Colonial Office Reachcombers is at No. 3 opposite.

In case it is in mind to try to devise something similar for attachments to this Ministry it may be helpful to give more background about the old beachcomber scheme. It was initally in existence before the war, having been concocted in the 1930's, and originally provided for attachments in the Assistant Principal grade but, for reasons not stated in the post-war files, i seems that this grading did not prove satisfactory but ideas of revising the scheme were overtaken by the outbreak of war. After the war, the scheme was revised on the lines in No. 3.

Really, the (then) Treasury were not happy about the basis of the scheme for various reasons:-

(i) they did not feel that Colonial Service strictly equated with

the Home Administrative Service or that a beachcomber could fulfil the full range of Principal duties and for these reasons they held firmly and, seemingly, even then with reluctance, to the 8 year Colonial Service "qualification" for the minimum of the Principal scale;

(ii) they initally proved difficult about the proposal to pay

Home Service Allowance (for high cost of temporary accommodation). An attempt to get for beachcombers the "home" allowances of the Foreign Service was strongly rejected and before they were finally "persuaded" to agree to the flat rate Home Service allowance they floated a proposal merely to pay to both married and unmarried beachcombers subsistence allowance at U.K. rates up to a maximum of 28 nights if (and only if) an officer was in a hotel for that period while finding lodgings. Subsequently, married officers who had been living with wives and families prior to posting to the U.K. could have an excess rent allowance equal to the amount by which their rent exceeded "standard" rent and subject to the lodging allowance maximum; in no case, would this allowance be paid for more than two years. An unmarried officer would not receive anything other than the allowance for initial nights in a hotel. The Colonial Office resisted this one on the grounds that they had no intention of applying what amounted to a means test and finally, after a battle, the flat rate was agreed. A låter attempt by the Colonial Office to get the £100 Home Service Allowance for the first year for all unmarried officers extended to cover the second year and any extension was not successful.

(iii) After the scheme had been running a few years the Treasury tried

again to get the scheme altered to the pre-war practice of beachoch being equated to Assistant Principals by bringing in dress of rather less seniority and on a special pay scale. The Colonial Office resisted and won the day but not without difficulty.

Times have, of course, changed but "Treasury" attitudes do not really change much. Taking other things into consideration such as the revised basis of overseas pay with its basic salary devised for local services and its often quite high element of inducement pay it would probably be better to devise ar entirely new scheme of attachment, if one is required, rather than base anything on the old beachcomber scheme which was geared to a different day and age and to different conditions.

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