TNAG-1009-FCO40-1259-Appointments-of-senior-officials-in-Hong-Kong-and-Hong-Kong--1981 — Page 64

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GR 370

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

(AMENDED DISTRIBUTION 27 FEBRUARY)

FM HONG KONG 271043Z FEB

TO PRIORITY HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON, TELEGRAM NUMBER 353 OF 27 FEBRUARY, 1981

INFO PRIORITY F.C.O. (FOR CLIFT). MIP T: SENIOR APPOINTMENTS

HICC oils,

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY NO. 51

OS MAR 1981

DESK OFFICER

TOP

NDE

ANSWERS TO POSSIBLE PRESS QUERIES.

1. WILL SIR PHILIP GO ON LEAVE BEFORE TAKING OVER AS C.S.? ANS: YES. HE WILL TAKE LEAVE THIS SUMMER AND RETURN TO H.K. WELL BEFORE THE TAKE-OVER IN NOVEMBER. BEFORE TAKING OVER HE WILL SPEND SOME TIME VISITING GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS AND EXAMINING THE ADMINISTRATION AT WORK.

2. WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO MR. DAVID FORD?

ANS: AN ANNOUNCEMENT WILL BE MADE LATER IN THE YEAR.

3. IF ASKED ABOUT THE PERIOD OF MR. BREMRIDGE'S APPOINTMENT, THE ANSWER IS ''FIVE YEARS''.

4. IF ASKED WHETHER HE IS APPOINTED ON SPECIAL TERMS, THE ANSWER

IS ''NO''. HIS TERMS ARE NORMAL FOR AN OFFICER OF THE F.S. RANK.

5. IF ASKED WHETHER THERE IS A PROVISION FOR A BREAK IN HIS CONTRACT, THE ASNWER IS: ''AS USUAL THERE IS: IN THIS CASE A PROVISION FOR A BREAK AT ONE YEAR'S NOTICE ON EITHER SIDE".

See

6 IF ASKED WHETHER GOVERNMENT IS CONCERNED ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF A RETIRED BUSINESSMAN USING HIS GOVERNMENT INFLUENCE TO FURTHER HIS FORMER BUSINESS INTERESTS, THE ANSWER IS: ''CERTAINLY NOT. MR BREMRIDGE WILL BE SUBJECT TO NORMAL CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS ABOUT DECLARATION OF INTERESTS. HE HAS NO FINANCIAL INTERESTS IN HONG KONG.

7. WHY SHOULD H.K. GOVERNMENT APPOINT SOMEONE FROM OUTSIDE THE CIVIL SERVICE TO SUCH A SEIONR POST?

ANS: AFTER VERY CAREFUL CONSIDERATION MR. BREMRIDGE IS FOUND TO BE THE BEST PERSON AVAILABLE FOR THE POST. HE COMBINES LONG

EXPERIENCE OF MANY ASPECTS OF H.K.'S ECONOMIC, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL AND CULTURAL LIFE WITH CLOSE KNOWLEDGE OF THE ADMINISTRATION.

8. WILL THIS BE A PATTERN FOR FUTURE SENIOR APPOINTMENTS? ANS: NO, THIS WILL NOT BE A PATTERN FOR FUTURE APPOINTMENTS.

9. WHY ARE HEADS OF DEPARTMENTS NOT ALLOWED TO WORK IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR WITHIN TWO YEARS OF THEIR RETIREMENT? AND WHY DOES THIS RULE

NOT APPLY TO RETIRED BUSINESS TYCOONS?

ANS: AT PRESENT, THERE IS SUCH A REGULATION BUT IT APPLIES ONLY TO A SMALL NUMBER OF EXPATRIATE OFFICERS (NOT LOCAL ONES). PERHAPS IT NEEDS TO BE EXAMINED AND RELAXED.

CONFIDENTIAL

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