TNAG-2060-FCO40-2938-Hong-Kong-Overseas-Service-Pensioners--Association-(OSPA)-1990 — Page 39

23 JU 1500

OVERSEAS SERVICE PENSIONERS' ASSOCIATION

63 CHURCH ROAD

HOVE SUSSEX

PRESIDENT :

The Lord Grey of Naunton, GCMG GCVO OBE

SECRETARY:

Mr Stone

Mr. C. D. Stenton

RM 27/1

Your Ref:

Our Ref: FNMP/RJH/F3HK

The Hon. Francis Maude, M.P., Minister of State,

Foreign & Commonwealth Office, London,

SW1A 2AH.

Dear Minister,

BN3 2BD

Telephone: Brighton (0273) 721630

20th July, 1990

Mis,

Marsden,

Miss Marsden, HKD

Grateful for draft

reply

from Earl of Cauthriess.

V-6wan 23/7

XPS | Mr Garel-Jones

Ps) Earl of Carthness

Thank you for your letter of 20th June, which arrived at an opportune moment as we had it available for discussion at a meeting of our Executive Committee on 26th June.

We are grateful for the assurance in the third paragraph of your letter that a limited compensation scheme has been established and is already in operation; so that expatriate officers who are required to retire prematurely or who are superceded for promotion to facilitate localisation are eligible for compensation. This will certainly meet the situation of these officers in the years prior to 1997. As far as we are aware limited compensation schemes in all other Colonies have only operated up to indepen- dence and they have invariably been overtaken by the provisions of a general compensation scheme.

We are also grateful for the assurance in the final paragraph of your letter that you "hope to make as soon as possible an announcement about how (you) intend to meet these concerns (of HMOCS members)". This is, however, merely a repetition of the final sentence of your letter of 2 April; so hopefully the time of the announcement is rapidly approaching. May I take it as axiomatic that this 'active consideration' will be based on the assurances given in Parliament and by Mr. Luce as quoted in my letter of 26 January; and in this connection may I recall to your attention Lord Glenarthur's letter of 9 August 1988 to our President, Lord Grey, when in the second paragraph on the second page he referred to these specific quotations and added "This remains the Government's position".

Regrettably, we continue to gain a very strong impression from your letters that the Government is now reneging from that position. Your letter now seems to imply that HMOCS members will be able to retain their HMOCS status, involving as it does special protection by and responsibilities for HMG, if they continue in the service in Hong Kong under the S.A.R. Government. As we see

./...