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Redacted under FOI Exemption S 27(1),
7. RESERVE CATEGORY. ALTHOUGH SOME RESERVE IS BETTER THAN NONE, SUCH A SMALL NUMBER IS GOING TO BE EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO PRESENT OR ADMINISTER. IT WOULD MAKE LITTLE SENSE TO ANNOUNCE SUCH A CATEGORY AS OPEN TO ALL. THERE WOULD THEN BE NO/NO WAY OF MAKING SENSIBLE OR DEFENSIBLE DECISIONS AMONGST THE LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO WOULD APPLY. IF 500 CANNOT BE BETTERED (I HAD SUGGESTED TO YOU A MINIMUM OF 2000) THEN THE BEST APPROACH IS PROBABLY TO SUE THIS GROUP PREDOMINATELY FOR THOSE IN THE CIVIL SERVICE NOT COVERED BY THE GAS. IN THIS WAY WE COULD SELECT RATHER THAN CALL FOR APPLICATIONS. THAT BEING SO, THE PRIME MINISTER'S WORDING HAS SOME MERIT. BUT I AGREE THAT IT SHOULD NOT BE TOO RIGID. BETTER TO REFER TO THESE PEOPLE IN ANYTHING SAID IN PUBLIC AS 'ESSENTIALLY COMING FROM THE PUBLIC SERVICE''. THAT WOULD LEAVE SOME ABILITY TO TAKE A FEW PEOPLE FROM OUTSIDE THE CIVIL SERVICE IF THIS SEEMED IMPORTANT, WITHOUT INVITING A FLOOD OF APPLICATIONS, THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF WHICH ARE BOUND TO BE DISAPPOINTED.
8. I AM TREATING THIS TELEGRAM ON A VERY RESTRICTED BASIS HERE. IT
AND YOUR TUR ARE BEING SEEN ONLY BY THE CS AND TSANG.
9. SEE MIFT.
WILSON
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