TNAG-2436-FCO40-3538-Hong-Kong-Her-Majesty-s-Overseas-Civil-Service-(HMOCS)-secur-1992 — Page 25

Draft reply to Mr. Patters para 2.

I am pleased that you would like to pursue the extension to

HMOCS officers of the opportunity to apply for inward transfer

to the Diplomatic Service. Unfortunately we cannot increase the

ceiling of places at each grade or include DS4, as you suggest.

The scheme is designed to enable us to consider all inward

transfer applications fairly and equally against a set of

agreed criteria. We are not obliged to fill the places available

at each grade if the standard of applications is not high enough

(hence the "ceiling" rather than a "quota"); and the ceiling at

each grade or its exclusion from the scheme is related to the

operational needs of the Diplomatic Service, not the number of

applications we receive. I assure you, however, that we shall

treat inward transfer applications from HMOCS officers in exactly

the same way as those from home civil servants in the UK.

Any HMOCS officers wishing to take advantage of the inward

transfer scheme should apply in writing to David Cox, Recruitment

Section, Personnel Policy Department, FCO. They should confirm

that they have told their establishment officer of their appli-

cation. We consider all applications in September-October of each

year; and before that

approach establishment officers for

copies of applicants' two or

or three most recent appraisal reports.