TNAG-2100-FCO40-2989-HM-Overseas-Civil-Service-(HMOCS)-policy-matters-1990 — Page 131

السلام

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inducement to serve the SAR Government is out of all proportion to

the consideration given to compensation for loss of career under the

Crown. The concern we have shown for Hong Kong Chinese in the

nationality package may also be contrasted unfavourably with our alleged abandonment of British expatriate civil servants to the SAR.

25. However, the proposed compensation/incentive scheme can be defended on the grounds that it has been designed to suit the

particular circumstances of Hong Kong in a way which, to quote the 1960 White Paper, "reflects the interests of both the officers and

the Government concerned." The offices have clearly not been

abandoned.

The Joint Declaration provides that expatriate officers may remain in service with terms and conditions no less favourable

than before and the scheme adds a considerable further incentive.

It is true that no special provision has been made for those who

choose to give up their career in 1997 but since 1988 their terms

have allowed them to leave service early and to receive a deferred pension at normal retirement age. Any enhancement to this, such as the immediate payment of pension, would be likely to encourage

officers to leave Hong Kong service, as indeed it did in other

territories where this provision applied.

26.

Ideally, we ought to consult the staff associations before we

consult the Chinese. But in view of the hostile reception our proposals are likely to receive, it would probably be unwise to do

so. We will therefore need to inform the staff associations after

we have cleared our lines with the Chinese. A Ministerial visit to

Hong Kong might offer the best opportunity to do this.

Timing of announcement

27. We cannot afford to delay announcement of the scheme much

longer. Pressure among HMOCS and other expatriate officers in Hong Kong for an early decision is growing. As the Chief Secretary, Sir David Ford, emphasised when he came to see me recently, this

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