115
166521
MDHOAN 1324
SECRET
FM FCO
TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG
TELNO 47 4
OF 12120OZ MARCH 92
SECRET
HKA 233/1
INFO PRIORITY PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
TOP COPY Q DIST?
72
1,313
YOUR TELNO 685: HMOCS ARRANGEMENTS
1.
THANK YOU FOR THIS FURTHER EXPLANATION OF YOUR THINKING. CON PARA 1 OF TUR, WE HAD ALREADY RECEIVED A CORRECTED VERSION OF YOUR TELNO 672, IE CORRECTING PARA 6).
68
2. YOUR ADVICE ABOUT THE PROSPECT THAT A FAIR NUMBER OF THESE CONTRACT OFFICERS WILL NOT/NOT APPLY FOR PENSIONABLE TERMS AND HMOCS MEMBERSHIP IS ENCOURAGING CIN FINANCIAL TERMS, IF NOT IN TERMS OF OUR WIDER OBJECTIVES). WE ALSO NOTE THAT IN 1986 THERE WERE SOME 500 CONTRACT OFFICERS WHO COULD BECOME HMOCS OFFICERS, WHERE NOW THERE ARE ONLY SOME 240. IF YOU HAVE STATISTICS EASILY AVAILABLE FOR MARCH 1985 SHOWING AN EVEN HIGHER FIGURE THEN, THEY MIGHT BE FURTHER AMMUNITION FOR OUR PROVING THAT THIS IS A DWINDLING PROBLEM.
3. WE SYMPATHISE WITH YOUR FEELING THAT UNDUE EMPHASIS HAS BEEN PLACED ON THIS GROUP OF POTENTIAL HMOCS OFFICERS. HOWEVER THERE ARE IMPORTANT TACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS HERE IN OUR SHOWING THAT WE HAVE MADE A REAL EFFORT TO SEE WHETHER WE CAN SAVE ANY MONEY IN THIS AREA BY SOME ADAPTATION OF OUR SCHEME: IN RECENT
MINISTERIAL EXCHANGES WE HAVE STRESSED THAT WE ARE MAKING SUCH AN EFFORT.
3.
WE ARE SEEKING LEGAL ADVICE ON THE FEASIBILITY OF CLOSING THE HMOCS DOOR TO THESE OFFICERS. WE SUSPECT THAT IT MIGHT BE POSSIBLE TO DO SO, PROVIDED THAT THE ANNOUNCEMENT THAT THE SECRETARY OF STATE WOULD MAKE NO FURTHER ENROLMENTS WAS ACCOMPANIED BY AN ANNOUNCEMENT OF SOME SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT
IN OTHER TERMS OF THEIR SERVICE.
4.
WE SEE THAT HKG COULD NOT IMPROVE THE CONTRACT TERMS FOR
THIS GROUP ALONE. ANY HONG KONG CONTRIBUTION WOULD HAVE TO GO WIDER, BENEFITING OTHERS TOO, AND THUS COULD NOT BE SAID TO COMPENSATE THE POTENTIAL HMOCS OFFICERS FOR THE LOSS OF THEIR RIGHT TO APPLY FOR HMOCS MEMBERSHIP. WE STILL WONDER HOWEVER
PAGE
SECRET
1
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.