TNAG-1548-FCO40-2112-Future-of-the-Hong-Kong-public-service-1986 — Page 151

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OO HOKON

FM FCOLN TO HOKON

061245Z JAN

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TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

TELNO 20

OF 061245Z JANUARY 86

MIPT:

HKIC 256/1

0 8 JAN 1986

LETTER FROM JUSTICE JACKSON-LIPKIN TO SECRETARY OF STATE: OVERSEAS RECRUITMENT TO THE HONG KONG CIVIL SERVICE

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TEXT OF PROPOSED REPLY TO MR JACKSON-LIPKIN'S LETTER IS

AS FOLLOWS:

BEGINS

THANK YOU FOR YOUR LETTER OF 13 DECEMBER. IN YOUR LETTER YOU MENTION CHINESE CONCERN ABOUT A 'BAN ON OVERSEAS RECRUITING FOR THE CIVIL SERVICE'. THIS IS A LITTLE MYSTERIOUS: THERE IS NO SUCH BAN. THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT CONTINUES TO PURSUE A LOCALISATION POLICY THAT HAS EXISTED SINCE THE 1960S: IN OTHER WORDS, OVERSEAS OFFICERS ARE RECRUITED TO FILL POSTS FOR WHICH NO SUITABLE QUALIFIED LOCAL CANDIDATES CAN BE FOUND. FOR EXAMPLE, THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT APPOINTED 24 OVERSEAS OFFICERS DURING LAST OCTOBER (AND YOU WILL BE INTERESTED TO KNOW THAT FIVE OF THESE APPOINTMENTS WERE TO FILL LEGAL POSTS). THIS POLICY APPLIES ALSO TO THE JUDICIARY: AS YOU WILL BE AWARE, MR J B MORTIMER QC WAS APPOINTED AS A JUDGE OF THE HIGH COURT OF HONG KONG AS RECENTLY AS LAST SEPTEMBER.

THE CONTINUATION AND PACE OF HONG KONG'S CURRENT LOCALISATION POLICY MUST OF COURSE HAVE REGARD TO THE PROVISIONS OF SECTION IV OF ANNEX I TO THE JOINT DECLARATION, WHEREBY THE HONG KONG SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION GOVERNMENT MAY NOT EMPLOY FOREIGN NATIONALS AS HEADS OF BRANCHES OR MAJOR DEPARTMENTS AFTER

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