TNAG-0997-FCO40-1222-Future-staffing-of-Dependent-Territories-1981 — Page 104

RESTRICTED: STAFF IN CONFIDENCE HKA 431/13

Foreign and Commonwealth Office London SW1A 2AH

J M Rowlands Esq CBE

Secretary for the Civil Service

Government Secretariat

HONG KONG

Telephone 01-

RD IN CERY NO. 5.

0.5.

1 1 MAR 1981

SK OFFICER

Your reference

PA

BBR

HKA 431/13

•༽『,e

er

Our reference

10 March 1981

Date

18

FUTURE STAFFING IN THE DEPENDENT TERRITORIES

1.

зы

I matth.

Thank you for your letter of 11 February.

NOED 8113.

C2214

2.

It is very helpful to have such an encouraging reply on the possible future availability of Hong Kong officers to serve in other territories. Our line in the paper was based, as you surmise, on our recent experience. eg the Yaxley case. We realise that in some cases you may be reluctant to lose your better officers in mid-career, and they may be cautious about falling behind their contemporaries in the promotion stakes. It is good news that this need not apply universally. We shall indeed consider Hong Kong very carefully as a possible source. I know that you will equally bear in mind our requirement for first-class officers. Presumably, any willing victims would need appropriate assurances from you about their longer-term future in Hong Rong. I assume we are talking only of expatriate officers.

3.

This would not, of course, apply to officers of 55 or thereabouts, who would also be less likely to have doubts about the lower emoluments paid outside Hong Kong, but we are less likely to be looking at people in their age bracket who have not had earlier experience of small territories.

4.

There is obviously a potential problem over emoluments. We are very grateful for the suggestion that you might be able to help over this. Perhaps you could elaborate on this if and when a Hong Kong candidate shows interest in a particular post.

5.

We shall, of course, continue to send details of senior posts to you in the hope of attracting suitable officers. At the moment, we seem to be able to fill posts from our existing pool but other posts will be coming vacant in 1982 and 1983.

1

6.

There is another angle to this which you might like to bear in mind. Among the various replies to our letter of 30 November 1980, was one from Peter Lloyd in Bermuda, who suggested that some jobs in Hong Kong itsel might be suitable as training slots for future Governors of small territories. He had in mind a Secretariat post, in particular the Security

/Branch

RESTRICTED: STAFF IN CONFIDENCE