TNAG-2442-FCO40-3549-Hong-Kong-Civil-Service-appointments-and-promotions-1992 — Page 54

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IMMEDIATE

एंटर

CONFIDENTIAL

for the substantive promotion. But this system does not enable Ministers to have any say in the most significant aspect, which is the appointment of a candidate to fill a Secretary job. The subsequent approval of promotion must in most cases be a formality. It would be very difficult for the Secretary of State to take issue with a recommendation for such a promotion if the person had been acting in the post for a

considerable time.

4.

move into the final phase of the transition period, we believe that senior appointments in the Hong Kong Administration are going to become more politically sensitive, and that Ministers will want the opportunity to consider these appointments in advance, including the question of localisation. To take better account of the provisions of the Secretary of State's letter of 3 June 1991, we would ask that the Secretary of State's approval should be sought for appointments to the posts indicated, including where the candidate would be formally acting in the post with a view to subsequent substantive promotion. That is to say, we would not need to be involved where acting appointments were purely for administrative convenience, and were not intended to be permanent.

5.

On second TUR, since you have already announced Mr Eason's appointment as Secretary for Planning Environment and Lands, we see no alternative to approving his appointment as Senior Representative of the British side of the Land Commission as

well.

HURD

YYYY

ΜΑΙΝ

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