TNAG-2271-FCO40-3270-Hong-Kong-Her-Majesty-s-Overseas-Civil-Service-(HMOCS)-corr-1991 — Page 175

ROYAL

HONG

KONG

POLICE

MR Paul, His

Ref : (59) in SPA 3/2 Pt II

sir,

1990.

It

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сс ма

Burns.

Advice please

int Tim

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SUPERINTENDENTS' ASSOCIATION

OF THE

ROYAL HONG KONG POLICE FORCE

POLICE HEADQUARTERS

ARSENAL STREET

HONG KONG

26th February 1991

HKB 02613+109)

Thank you for your letter of 8th November, 1990, which responded to matters raised by

by this Association's letter of 20th- September,

is unfortunate that we were unable to have the opportunity of meeting you again during your recent visit as there still exist major matters of concern not only to Association members but to others in the Force, in the run-up to the end of British rule in 1997.

Her Majesty's Overseas Civil Service

A matter which is of

particular concern to members of Her Majesty's Overseas Civil Service (HMOCS) is the absence of any news on their future. It is over six years since the Joint Declaration was initialled and it would be

be helpful if you or a representative of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) could give

could give a briefing now to affected officers on the progress that has been made to date on this issue. This would greatly help to allay the widespread concern amongst HMOCS officers.

We were very pleased to receive the assurance in your letter that any special arrangements for HMOCS members who are affected by the change of sovereignty will not be altered by whether or not they have transferred to the new pension scheme. Acting on reliance on this assurance, officers are now able to transfer to the new pension scheme without worrying about the possible consequences. Your letter, however, did not give a similar assurance for officers who transfer from agreement ("Contract") terms to pensionable terms. Neither did it give a similar and necessary assurance for those officers who joined HMOCS after the Joint Declaration was signed. We would be very grateful for such written assurances.

Status of Non-British Wives of HMOCS Members

We appreciate the efforts being made to safeguard the status of wives of British Citizens

Citizens serving in Hong Kong. However, we have been informed that applications under Section 6 (2) of the British Nationality Act

Act 1981 will take 30 months for the Home Office to process.

We should therefore be grateful for any assistance you can render in your dealings with the Home Office to expedite this process.

Another item of concern is the position after 1997 of British Citizens of Chinese or part Chinese Origin who remain in Hong Kong. It would appear

that Chinese Law may be extended to cover any person of Chinese race and many HMOCS officers are concerned for the safety and status of their wives and children. We would hope that a guarantee of British Consular protection can be made with, of course, the prior agreement of the Government of the PRC.

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