TNAG-1413-FCO40-1889-Future-of-Hong-Kong-annual-report-to-Parliament-on-Hong-Kong-1985 — Page 205

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7558. 1

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WHICH IS EXPECTED TO BE PUBLICLY EXAMINED IS THE ESTABLISHMENT OF

AN INSTITUTION TO ENQUIRE, ON AN INDEPENDENT BASIS, INTO

COMPLAINTS ALLEGING MALADMINISTRATION BY GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS.

(E) (NEXT TWO WORDS UNDERLINED) CIVIL SERVICE

26. WITHIN THE CIVIL SERVICE THE PROPORTION OF LOCAL OFFICERS

HOLDING DIRECTORATE POSTS REACHED 50 PER CENT WITH AN INCREASING

NUMBER OF LOCAL OFFICERS TAKING UP SENIOR POSITIONS. THE HONG

KONG GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCED THAT BY CONTINUING WITH THEIR

LOCALISATION POLICY THEY WERE CONFIDENT OF FILLING TOP POSTS WITH LOCAL PEOPLE, IN TERMS OF THE JOINT DECLARATION, BY 1997. AS REGARDS THE POLICE FORCE, THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT ACCEPTED THAT

LOCALISATION OF THE SENIOR RANKS HAD TO BE AT A FASTER PACE THAN

HITHERTO ACHIEVED: A STEERING GROUP OF SENIOR GOVERNMENT

OFFICIALS WAS CHARGED WITH RECOMMENDING TO THE GOVERNOR HOW THIS

OBJECTIVE WAS BEST TO BE ATTAINED WITHOUT JEOPARDISING EITHER THE

FORCE'S EFFICIENCY OR ITS MORALE. INITIAL CONSIDERATION WAS

GIVEN TO THE POSSIBILITY OF INTRODUCING A LIMITED COMPENSATION

SCHEME ON LINES SIMILAR TO SCHEMES INTRODUCED INTO FORMER BRITISH

DEPENDENT TERRITORIES AT THE TIME OF CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGE, WHICH AMONG OTHER THINGS, WOULD ENABLE PENSIONABLE OVERSEAS OFFICERS WHO WERE EITHER REQUIRED TO RETIRE, OR SUPERSEDED FOR PROMOTION TO MAKE WAY FOR LOCAL OFFICERS, TO BE COMPENSATED FOR LOSS OF

CAREER.

IV.

STATE OF THE ECONOMY

27. THE SINO-BRITISH JOINT DECLARATION ON THE FUTURE OF HONG

KONG REMOVED MUCH OF THE SHADOW OF UNCERTAINTY WHICH HAD HUNG

OVER THE HONG KONG ECONOMY IN 1983 AND MOST OF 1984. BUT THE

ECONOMY REMAINED DEPENDENT ON TRADE AND HENCE VULNERABLE TO

EXTERNAL FORCES OUTSIDE HONG KONG'S CONTROL.

28.

AFTER A YEAR OF STRONG EXPORT-LED GROWTH, THE HONG KONG

ECONOMY SHOWED SIGNS OF SLOWING DOWN IN 1985, IN LINE WITH MANY

OTHER ECONOMIES. FOR 1985 AS A WHOLE THE ESTIMATED GROWTH RATE

OF HONG KONG'S GDP WAS 4 AND A HALF PER CENT TO 5 PER CENT,

COMPARED WITH 9.4 PER CENT FOR 1984. THE FUTURE PERFORMANCE OF

DOMESTIC EXPORTS ADDED AN EXTRA ELEMENT OF UNCERTAINTY TO THIS

FORECAST. EXPORTS WERE INCREASINGLY AFFECTED BY THE GROWING

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