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transfer to permanent and pensionable employment with HKG and to apply for enrolment in HMOCS. As the statement said, we should be grateful to receive any written comments on this outline proposal by 24 April. It was envisaged that a small team of officials would then visit Hong Kong in the week beginning 4 May in order to discuss points arising with representatives of the Association. Mr Cox the added that the team would include representatives from both the ODA and the FCO, probably including himself, although its detailed composition ws not yet fixed. He asked whether this timetable was convenient to the HMOCS Association.
5.
Mr Cartland said that the Association would need time to study the statement. It was technical and they wished to examine what it entailed. But he was grateful for the efforts which had achieved recent progress. He welcomed the timetable proposed for consultation. He wondered whether Mr Cox would still be in Hong Kong on 8 April, in which case the Association could perhaps offer an initial reaction. Mr Cox said that he was due to leave later on 7 April. We had not really expected an instant reaction and wanted the Association to have time to think about the statement and offer written comments as a basis for discussion in the week beginning 4 May: it would be better not to start discussing it until an ODA representative was present. Mr Cox added that he thought the statement was fairly clear - eg he assumed the reference to the Hong Kong Limited Compensation Scheme would be well understood. Mr Cartland agreed.
6.
Mr Cartland noted the intention to use the average exchange rate for 1991 for calculating payments. HMG would be aware that another of the Association's concerns was the question of sterling safeguards for pensions. He said the Association wished to put down a marker on this point. They had mentioned it in their reply to Lord Caithness and would wish to pursue the question in the consultations in the week of 4 May. They wanted to know where we were going. Would decisions be announced in time for officers to decide between the HKG new and old pensions schemes by the 30 June deadline? Mr Cox said that we had noted the reference to this point in Mr Cartland's reply to Lord Caithness. The position was that this question was still under consideration, and no decisions had yet been taken. He could not say when decisions would be taken. But he took note of the Association's concern.
7.
Mr Cartland asked about the effect of the coming elections on decisions on pension safeguards, and when a decision on the pensions question might be taken if, for example, the elections produced a hung parliament and the government could not focus on substantive business. Mr Cox said that he understood the constitutional convention was not to take new decisions (eg on pensions) once an election was called. On the other hand, the decision on the compensation question had been taken before the election, as Lord
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