TNAG-0606-FCO40-754-Monitoring-progress-made-on-planning-papers-on-Hong-Kong-1977 — Page 222

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Diplomatic Service officer should be appointed to fill the post of Deputy Secretary responsible for Information in the Home Affairs Branch. The post's present incumbent, who is soon to be seconded, has wide access to the different branches of government, and attends ExCo and the Chief Secretary's and Governor's meetings. While this idea was different from that which Mr Stewart had, with Lord Goronwy-Roberts' approval, initially put forward, the Committee agreed that it had great merit. It had the Governor's backing and the post was important. The Committee was in favour. Mr Stewart will submit separately to this effect. It was agreed after discussion that, provided a first-class officer acceptable to both the FCO and the Hong Kong Government could be found, this proposal should be pursued with all vigour.

(d) Agenda Item 1(a): Two-way Secondments

Both the Civil Service Department and the Hong Kong Government were agreed in principle on the desirability of this scheme, and on its scale (that there should be two or three secondments in each direction at any one time). The difficulty was that the Hong Kong Government required first-class officers at Principal/Grade 5 level while the Civil Service Department would probably only be able to make run-of-the-mill Principals available at present and the Diplomatic Service normally had no good Grade 5s available for secondment. It was agreed that the Scheme should only go ahead if those seconded were really first-class officers. Hong Kong Department would ask the Personnel Departments concerned to explore the possibilities further. The particular possibility of a secondment from the Treasury or the Bank of England would also be investigated.

Agenda Item 2: The Planning Paper and the Governor's Statement To Le Co

It was agreed that the comparative study that the Department had prepared of the Governor's statement to the Legislative Council and of the relevant processing of the Planning Paper should be submitted to Lord Goronwy-Roberts. (Copy attached to these minutes.)

(a) Agenda Item 2(a): Criteria for Public Assistance to

15-55 year olds

Misgiving was felt on two points: the lengths of the residence qualification and of the "defined period of unemployment" and there was a long discussion.

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