Under the Joint Declaration, as I am sure you are aware, the socialist system will not be practised in Hong Kong and Hong Kong's existing rights and freedoms will be maintained. More specifically, the Joint Declaration provides that public servants, including members of the police, may continue their service after 1997 with pay, allowances, benefits and conditions of service no less favourable than before. The Joint Declaration makes a similar provision for the payment of pensions after 1997. Those are important stipulations, contained in an internationally binding agreement. They should not be dismissed lightly.
The Government are nevertheless actively considering the question of preserving HMOCS benefits but no conclusions have yet been reached. I hope, however, that it will be possible to announce our intentions before long.
You refer to potential vetting problems arising from service in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. I can assure your members that the British Government would not consider service in the SAR as constituting service with a communist government. You would not therefore be barred from taking up Crown appointments on such grounds. We would expect other countries to take a similar view.
Francis Maude
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