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aside, and would ensure the payment of pensions in the event of a default; he also stated that "if for any reason it should so happen in relation to the payment of a pension that a pensioner finds himself in financial difficulties, HMG would feel obliged to take appropriate remedial action".
10. In 1968, Sir Reginald Prentice, Minister for Overseas Development, reaffirmed the Carr-Robertson assurance in the House of Commons. He stated that it "does not amount to a formal commitment to pay loan advances [in lieu of pension] if there has been a default, but it has been understood since by OSPA and by the British Government that this would in effect happen, if there was a default."
11. Ministers have stated publicly that they accept "that the transition of Hong Kong to an SAR of the PRC on 1 July 1997 will raise problems in relation to HMOCS comparable to those raised in other Dependent Territories at independence". (eg, Mr Luce to OSPA: 15 April 1985.)
12.
When Ministers have been asked if they have plans to propose measures to safeguard the value of HMOCS pension of those serving or retired from Hong Kong, they have noted that "in the past sterling safeguards have normally been negotiated on behalf of members of HMOCS immediately before constitutional change. It would be a significant departure from previous practice to contemplate such arrangements at this stage, and we have no plans to do so.' (Mr Mellor, House of Commons: 15 February 1988)
13. In Ministerial correspondence over the years, the general line has been to repeat the assurances of Baroness Young that "the Government fully recognises the particular concerns of HMOCS officers in Hong Kong and will continue to keep their interests in mind" (14 March 1985). She did not then rule out the possibility of a Public Officers Agreement. We have also over the years stated that we were giving very careful thought as to how to meet HMOCS officers concerns and intended to make an announcement "as soon as possible".
14. We have generally not been drawn on what sort of arrangements we were considering to meet HMOCS officers' concerns. However in August 1989, Mr Maude stated, for the first and only time, that we did "not envisage a general scheme to enable expatriate police officers to retire with pensions on or before 1997. On the contrary, our efforts will be devoted to encouraging pensionable expatriate officers to stay on after the transfer of sovereignty.
Most recently, Lord Caithness has reassured the Chief Secretary in Hong Kong that "HMG are in the process of drawing up appropriate arrangements which recognise the change of sovereignty in 1997". (25 July 1991)
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