CONFIDENTIAL
secondment scheme is not an added extra, the proposal was
announced by the Foreign Secretary on 20 December and a number
of firms have shown an interest in participating. We doubt,
therefore, whether Ministers would wish to withdraw the scheme.
The key question is about numbers. Annex A shows that HKG want only 300 - if any places to be offered. It is difficult to
assess likely demand on the basis of interviews with a small
number of firms, but if Ministers were inclined to go above that
300, the choice would seem to lie between 500 and 1,000. The
final choice may depend on whether the Garrison and other British
institutions wish to be involved.
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The Garrison
13.
The Defence Secretary has asked for 2,000 places under the
citizenship scheme for 2,000 locally engaged staff. We had hoped
to explore alternatives more fully at official level but
unfortunately this has not proved possible so far. Rather than
delay OD (K) discussion, we suggest that this matter should be
pursued bilaterally between the Home Secretary and the Defence
Secretary.
Major employers
14.
[ Awaiting Donald Tsang's proposals]
Eligibility
15. We propose that the citizenship scheme should be open to
BDTCS, BN(0)s, other British nationals with no conditions on
their stay in Hong Kong, and COI holders and others who have
submitted applications for BDTC status before a specified date.
16. Our purpose in including COI holders as suggested above was
to avoid penalising those who had submitted applications for BDTC
CONFIDENTIAL
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.