TNAG-1428-FCO40-1911-Future-of-the-Hong-Kong-public-service-1985 — Page 64

G.F. 326

CONFIDENTIAL **

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(a) candidates should be permanent residents of Hong

Kong who are "Hong Kong Belongers" or "Chinese

Residents" within the meaning of the Immigration

Ordinance (Cap 115) (Note any candidate who in

addition holds any citizenship which confers on

him a right of abode outside Hong Kong may

however be required, if appointed, and depending

on individual circumstances, to relinquish that

citizenship within the period of probation); and

(b) they should have good spoken and written Chinese

and English.

X

7.

It may

be necessary to refine these criteria further, but

the effect would be that the number of persons who could be appointed

to the permanent and pensionable establishment, but who would be

ineligible for Chinese nationality in due course, would be very

small. It would moreover be open to us, in the final analyis and

given the likelihood of very limited numbers, either not to appoint

such persons, or to secure an acknowledgement from them at the time

of appointment that their careers prospects might be subject to

limitation in future, or to appoint them on agreement terms.

8.

It should be noted that none of this has any bearing on the

appointment of overseas officers to the Administrative Service. The

policy recently approved by Executive Council in respect of overseas

candidates is that, subject to there being a demand for their

services, they should be appointed on agreement terms.

CONFIDENTIAL #3