TNAG-0697-FCO40-847-Pension-scheme-for-governors-1978 — Page 157

oo SA/A106

DL Benest, FCO

337

D L Pawkins Esq.

Superannuation Division

7

Civil Service Department Whitehall London 3 W'

PD 231/213/01

20 December 1977

1.

Lonest in FCO Personnel ervices Department wrote to you on 21 Novembor About the recognition of promotion in absentia for the purposes of the Governors

ension Scheme.

2. First may I say that I fully endorse Benest's line of reasoning that in the enre of a Governor serving on secondment from the DS but who retires at the end of his Governorship without returning to the DS, then that Governor could well find hisself in a disadvantageous position if promotion in absentia is not remained for pension purposes.

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3. I am not sure that 1 would entirely agree however with Benest's view that the question is "n much wider che". A DS officer on secondment to a Governorship could normally expect to return to De service before final retirement and it ho

•

been promot d in absentia luring his term as Governor he would then return to port appropriate to his new grade following his retirement as Governor.

In such circumstances, under the terms of the draft GPS, if the Governor wis over the age of 50 at the end of his Governorship and met the period of service quelifiosbions he could either:-

5.

1) opt for a Governor's pension based on final salary and lon th of

service as Governor (such pension being subject to abatement during his subsequent period of re-employment in the DS) and on ultimate retirement from the DS he would be eligible for an aggregated FC980 award based on final salary in the US for the whole of his 18 servion, (2) he may under section 3.12 of the draft GPS elect that instead of being granted a pension under the GFS the PCSPS shall apply to him as if his service as Governor had been passed in the DS. In that event on final retirement his pension would be based on total DS/Governorship service and on final salary in the DS.

However in the particular case of Sir Murray Maclehose we have come up against an anomalous situation. I understand Sir Jurray was appointed on secondment to the Governorship of Hong Kong at the age of 54. Normally, as I said earlier, an officer in his position could have expected to return to the D3 before final retirement but in his case special considerations have led to his term of Governorship being extended and it is now clear that he will retire from the Governorship of llong Kong without returning to the DS. Unless the point on promotion in absentia is conceded

/could

ir Murray