TNAG-2433-FCO40-3535-Hong-Kong-Her-Majesty-s-Overseas-Civil-Service-(HMOCS)-and-t-1992 — Page 65

CONFIDENTIAL

Supreme Court Registry maintain (and we cannot refute this) that the first intimation the Judiciary received regarding membership of HMOCS being restricted to those appointed to

the Hong Kong Public Service on or before 28 March 1985 was a letter from Civil Service Branch of 15 April 1992. In these circumstances, in order to avoid frustrating their existing expectations, I recommend that we should extend the qualification deadline for members of the Judiciary from 28 March 1985 to 15 April 1992, ie we should accept applications for HMOCS membership from members of the Judiciary who were first appointed before 15 April 1992. About 42 additional judicial officers could thus apply for HMOCS membership.

6.

Whatever the qualifying date of the first appointment we also need to set a deadline for applications for HMOCS membership. The position has been that all applications

must be received before 30 June 1992. However, this is clearly out of the question if we are to inform judicial officers of the new arrangements proposed above. I recommend that we set the later date of 31 August 1992 for members of the Judiciary only. These issues should be set

out clearly for those involved. I recommend we issue the

attached statement to all relevant officers.

a think we

Mematur

Blobell

delly

PF Ricketts

but to do this.

JUDADE/3

CONFIDENTIAL

Cohen't