TNAG-2425-FCO40-3527-Hong-Kong-Her-Majesty-s-Overseas-Civil-Service-(HMOCS)-poli-1992 — Page 35

5 May 1992

RD J Wright

Security Division

Cabinet Office

70 Whitehall

LONDON

SW1

Jea

Wright,

CONFIDENTIAL

HKA 233/1

PA

4MCC)

Policy.

303

Foreign & Commonwealth

Office

Loniton >WJA ZAH

MEMBERS OF HER MAJESTY'S OVERSEAS CIVIL SERVICE IN HONG KONG AND THEIR DEPENDENTS: ELIGIBILITY TO APPLY FOR EMPLOYMENT

1. During 1991 Ms Coglin of this Department had some correspondence both with your office and the Officers and Aircrew Selection Centre about the eligibility of children of HMOCS members in Hong Kong to apply for employment. There are two issues which we now need to address on this subject rather urgently:

a) we consider that dependents of all HMOCS members who are British citizens now working in Hong Kong should be eligible for a waiver of the residency rules governing applications to UK armed services, because service with HMOCS constitutes Crown service; and

b) we consider that HMG should issue an early and unequivocal statement that, after 1 July 1997, service by former members of HMOCS with the Special Administrative Region Government of Hong Kong will not of itself be grounds for a bar to Crown appointments in the UK, including appointments to the UK armed services, for either the officers concerned or their dependents.

Background and Argument

2.

As a result of a letter from an HMOCS police officer in Hong Kong last year, there was correspondence with your office (C3/0) about how to treat HMOCS members in Hong Kong. At that time it was agreed that HMOCS members are indeed Crown servants and that their children should logically be eligible to apply for the UK armed services under that category. HMOCS members' children would fall into the category of "resident outside the UK because of his or her parent's UK Government service". I understand that the

ALKADG

CONFIDENTIAL