TNAG-2923-FCO40-4198-Visits-and-proposed-visits-by-Alastair-Goodlad--Minister-of--1993 — Page 53

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4 October 1993

MD Cartland Esq

Chairman, The Association

of Members of Her Majesty's

Overseas Civil Service in Hong Kong

31st Floor, Revenue Tower

5 Gloucester Road

Wanchai Hong Kong

Foreign & Commonwealth

Office

London SWIA 2AH

From The Minister of State

....нка 233/1

C-001 1993

Dear de Carthand

Thank you for your letter of 21 September.

As you know, HMG's intention is to consult your members on a package of benefits, including a draft compensation scheme and a sterling pension safeguard scheme. The fact that there has been no further announcement since my letter to you of 29 June does not mean that progress has not been made towards finalising these schemes; indeed, Ministers now have before them options for a revised compensation scheme, and officials are working hard to resolve outstanding issues on the sterling pension safeguard scheme. I can assure you that it remains the case that HMOCS is being dealt with as a priority issue and that an announcement will be made as soon as possible.

You also raised in connection with arrangements for HMOCS the. Hong Kong Government's localisation policy. While the localisation policy is primarily a matter for the Hong Kong Government, I appreciate that it is directly relevant to the careers of a number of HMOCS officers and therefore of much concern to them. It has been, and remains, the Hong Kong Government's intention to make arrangements at the correct time for future principal official posts to be filled by officers who should be able to continue in these posts after 30 June 1997. I understand that the Hong Kong Government is currently working on detailed plans for localisation of these posts under the Hong Kong Limited Compensation Scheme and they expect to be in a position to let HMOCS officers know where they stand within the next few months.