Note of Meeting between representatives of OSPA and Mr Alastair Goodlad, MP, Minister of State, FCO,
on Monday 10 May 1993
Present were:
Lord Grey, President, OSPA
Mr Nigel Pusinelli, Chairman
Mr Colvyn Haye, Member of Executive Committee
Mr David Le Breton, Secretary
Mr Alastair Goodlad, MP, Minister of State,
Mr Christopher Hum, Under-Secretary FCO
Mr Nigel Whitney, Hong Kong Dept.
Private Secretary
Lord Grey introduced the members from OSPA. Mr Haye was a pensioner with Hong Kong service.
Mr. Pusinelli said that OSPA primarily represented the people who are now pensioners. OSPA did not claim to speak for HMOCS officers still serving in Hong Kong, although they too would become pensioners in future. Those officers had their own Association in Hong Kong.
OSPA's chief concern was with the SPOS regulations. These did not protect pensioners from loss caused by depreciation of the HK$ in terms of sterling. OSPA had been making representations for many years about the injustice of the situation whereby when the HK$ appreciated against sterling, HMG gained, because the increase was deducted from the amount payable under SPOS, but when the HK$ depreciated it was the pensioner who lost because there was no adjustment for the drop in value of the basic pension.
Initially HMG had said that it was a a matter for the Hong Kong Government to protect the value of the basic pension. But the Hong Kong Govt. declared that they could not differentiate between groups of pensioners, and so could not make any adjustment. So HMG had then agreed in principle to find a way of making good the loss. It had been expected that a solution would be found within a short time, but in fact nothing had yet been resolved. Last year a solution was said to be included in the package to be negotiated with the Hong Kong officers. But still nothing had been achieved, and all the time the pensioners were suffering financial uncertainty and liability to loss from a drop in their basic pension. The exchange rate went up and down erratically, so sometimes the difficulties were greater, sometimes less, but it was always very unsatisfactory.
OSPA therefore believed that the package to be negotiated with the Hong Kong officers should be split up by separating the SPOS issue which should be dealt with on its own as a matter of urgency. The questions of compensation for serving
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