TNAG-2050-FCO40-2920-Visits-by-Lord-Caithness--Minister-of-State-for-Foreign-and--1990 — Page 72

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PS/Lord Caithness

I submit a draft reply

Rosalind March /x1

R M Marsden, HKD

Mr S Lau

Chairman, Senior Non-Expatriate Officers Association

Rm G13, CGO East Wing

Lower Albert Road

Hong Kong

Lord Caithness has asked me to thank you for your letter of 17 September about various issues of concern to

members of your Association. Lord Caithness was glad to

have had the opportunity to meet you and other representatives of the Senior Non-Expatriate officers Association while he was in Hong Kong and to hear your views

at first hand.

You express concern about certain aspects of the selection criteria under the British Nationality (Hong Kong) Act. As you know, the Order-in-Council setting out details of the selection procedure has now been approved by

Parliament.

Firstly, you suggest that the maximum points available

for British links should have been raised from 50 to 250, so

that civil servants would have an edge over their private

sector counterparts. The selection criteria were designed to ensure that civil servants will receive a substantial number of passports under the scheme. We are satisfied that the points allocated for Crown Service under the Hong Kong Government should give civil servants an edge over similarly

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