posts open to expatriates I believe more qualifications and experience would have been required by Hong Kong than could have been obtained by that age. Certainly this was so in my case and full pension was impossible,made even
orse by the fact that 8 years pensionable service in the UK gaining the qualifications and experience required by Hong Kong was not transferrableand therefore lost. Hardly a favourable position in comparison with my UK counterpart.
(b) The Hong Kong Government has for many years awarded larger pension increases then those awarded by HMG. My increases average out at 8% over the 8 years since I started to receive pension.I find it difficult to believe this is so significantly more to my Uk counterpart to place me in a position which could be described as doing reasonably well compared with my counterpart.
(c)hether or not my salary in Hong Kong was that much more than my counterpart in UK is a matter I am unable to knowledgably comment on although I should have thought that the salary of, say, the Chief Officer of the London Fire Brigade was not that much lower than mine during my service as Director of Fire Services, Hong Kong. However, I fail to understand what real relevance this bears to the matter of pension. Pension is awarded according to salary earned and should maintain its value. Surely HMG does not believe it is alright for Hong Kong pensions paid in the UK to HBCS to depreciate so much because these Officers were paid more than their UK counterparts, if this is indeed so?
Difficult times are being experienced by many HKOCS pensioners post 1976 because of a seriously depreciated pension income. This is certainly not the case with UK counterparts. Something needs to be done about the situation soon and before this can apparently happen a few beliefs held by HMG must be dispelled. I respectfully ask that you again look at this question after the full and true facts have been established to your satisfaction with a view to changing either the current arrangements of SPOS or bringing in a system for Hong Kong post 1976 pensioners who have returned to the UK to receive their pensions at the Personal Exchange Rate awrded them at their date of retirement, obviously the fairest solution to the problem.
The Earl of Caithness
Minister of State.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
London S!!!1A 2AH
Yours Sincerely.
Bin
Frederick M. Watson.
Director of Fire Services, Retired
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