TNAG-2669-FCO40-3866-Hong-Kong-Civil-Service-1993 — Page 62

5 October 1993

John Luk Esq Chairman

The Senior Non-Expatriate

Officers Association

Room G13

Central Government Offices

East Wing, Ground Floor

Lower Albert Road

Hong Kong

L

Foreign & Commonwealth

Office

120,

London SW1A 2AH

pa

HKA 016/1

0.1993

in which

6/10

да

Dear do hab.

Thank you for your letter of 20 September about Localisation Policy in the Hong Kong Civil Service.

I am very much aware that the recent change to the Hong Kong Government's localisation policy has generated some concern

This is among members of your Association in Hong Kong. essentially a policy matter for the Hong Kong Government, but I hope I can allay some of your concerns by explaining the reasons for the change and why it would be wrong to exaggerate its significance.

Previously, the Hong Kong Government's policy allowed overseas persons who had taken up residence in Hong Kong to join the Civil Service on local terms but, if they had been employed on overseas terms in the first instance, they could

Officers on overseas not subsequently change to local terms. terms who had been resident in Hong Kong for a number of years and had made Hong Kong their home, considered that this

The Hong Kong Government agreed that a policy was unfair. policy which prevented them from acquiring local status after appointment, was unnecessarily rigid, given the concept of permanent residence contained in the Immigration Ordinance, as well as in the Basic Law. Close examination also showed that the policy could not be successfully defended in court.

This interim measure does not indicate any lack of determination on the part of the Hong Kong Government to

Indeed, the implement fully the localisation policy. proportion of officers in directorate ranks has decreased to

less than