TNAG-1428-FCO40-1911-Future-of-the-Hong-Kong-public-service-1985 — Page 56

布政司署

香港下亞畢道

CONFIDENTIAL

BY AIR MAIL

GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT

LOWER ALBERT ROAD

HONG KONG

917:

In Thomas

本署檔號 OUR REF:

L/M to Ad 1/3-C

256/1

來函檔號 YOUR REF:

Dear Clinton,

R-Rp

1917

29 June 1985

& commult

Pre examine : # co

W Pinkford? Ca 9/7

I am writing to give you advance warning of a subject on which it is likely that we shall soon be soliciting FCO's formal views. This concerns future appointment requirements for the civil service as a whole, though for the purpose of this letter I should like to concentrate on future appointments to the Administrative Service. Our proposals in this respect would entail the abandonment of the existing requirement that Administrative Officers on probation or trial should have or acquire British nationality before they can be confirmed to the permanent and pensionable establishment.

As far as Civil Service Branch is concerned, we are anxious to ensure as far as possible that future permanent and pensionable recruits to the Administrative Service will not be regarded as "foreign nationals" post-1997. To accomplish this, we shall have to make changes in our current appointments policy and it makes sense to us to carry through these changes as soon as possible, preferably before our next recruitment exercise commencing this September.

The latest position is that the attached draft paper has been agreed with PA, S for S, and S(GD). At the same time we have drawn up overall proposals on future civil service appointment requirements, which incorporate these suggested new arrangements for the Administrative Service, and are in the process of consulting the Public Service Commission.

Once PSC's views are available we shall be putting our proposals to the Governor and, if he agrees, we will go on to consult you formally at that stage and issue an Information Note to Executive Council. We thought however that, since recruitment to the Administrative Service is a particularly sensitive topic, and since we are working to a tight timetable, we should take the opportunity both to inform you of the current state of play and to sound you out informally on whether you are likely to find any of our proposals objectionable.

Mr C.E. Leeks,

Hong Kong Department,

Foreign & Commonwealth Office,

King Charles Street,

Whitehall,

U.K.

CONFIDENTIAL

HKK 256/

RECEIVED IN HEGISTRY

09 JUL 1985

DESK OFFICER INDEX

RECISTRY

FA

|Action Taken

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