TNAG-2209-FCO40-3169-Future-of-Hong-Kong-principal-officials-1991 — Page 32

CONFIDENTIAL

separate from the Governor.

A civil service John the

Baptist would be a better way of proceeding initially so that an elected PCE could succeed to an existing machine. Secondly, if anticipatory organs are to act as a training ground for post-1997 successors, the 'trainees' must be qualified in post-1997 terms, i.e. have potentially the

qualifications for post-1997.

within the Legislature.

We already face this problem

It is even more relevant for the

CE and post-1997 principal officials.

16.

A secondary issue as regards principal officials will be whether the existing compensation scheme is sufficient to deal with the consequences of the nationality and abode

qualifications.

E.

Retention of Sufficient Powers by Executive/Governor

17. With the loss of an official majority in

he Legco,

consideration needs to be given to the possibility of conferring on the Governor of reserved powers of legislation

and financial appropriation:

if a PCE is created a similar

question arises since he too may not have majority support

in the Legislature.

Indeed, we will need to think of

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CONFIDENTIAL