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RESTRICTED/ADMIN IN CONFIDENCE
Responsibilities
41.
The section has a monitoring responsibility for
Gibraltar's relations with Spain, which are handled by SED, and a general desk responsibility for all other Gibraltar questions including aid. Civil aviation work is shared with Marine and Transport department, which has overall responsibility. There is a broad division of responsibility between desks on the basis that the grade 5 supervises the section and handles external relations and policy matters, that the grade 7 handles aid and economic questions and the grade 9 deals with routine correspondence, press and Parliamentary matters and general enquiries from the public. But the section are all housed in one room and all the staff are generally aware of what the others are doing.
42. The Head of section's policy responsibility covers a wide field. The Spanish blockade has steadily increased Gibraltar's dependence on Britain and pressures within Gibraltar for integration; a general election will be held in 1976. Gibraltar's Trade Unions have been negotiating for parity of wage rates with those of Britain and the department have been concerned with Sir Jack Scamp's investigation of and recommendations on their claim. Mr Hattersley's visit to Gibraltar in September 1975 called for some detailed briefing. The civil aviation work provides a fairly constant load.
43. There is no grant in aid to Gibraltar which has a balanced budget. The blockade has, however, made the Colony increasingly dependent on Britain and HM Government recently agreed a 5-year development programme providing £2 million of aid a year. Although the ODM controls aid votes, responsibility for their administration in the Dependent Territories lies with the Political departments in the Dependent Territories Division and with the territory concerned. The Government of the territory implements schemes that have been agreed, and considers new schemes. When the Governor of a territory wishes to implement a new scheme he must approach the department who will consult the Dependent Territories Economists Unit in the FCO and technical experts in the ODM before seeking financial approval. The Head of department may approve projects costing up to £350,000 and the Assistant Under-Secretary projects costing up to £500,000. For approval of a project costing more than £500,000 the Head of department or AUS, generally supported by a member of the Dependent Territories Economists Unit, must present himself before the ODM Projects Board and subject himself to questioning on the merits of the scheme. The aid desk must also monitor the progress of schemes and seven times a year completes a return of "Commitments and Forecast Disbursements of Bilateral Capital Aid" for the ODM. The desk has also recently assumed responsibility for staff appointments to the territory under overseas aid schemes.
Workload
15.
RESTRICTED/ADMINISTRATION IN CONFIDENCE