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DEPENDENT TERRITORIES SENIOR APPOINTMENTS: PRELIMINARY DISCUSSIONS
1. A meeting was held on 16 May to discuss senior administrative appointments in the dependent territories with a view to finalizing an agenda for the next meeting of the Dependent Territories' Senior Appointments Board (DTSAB), which has been arranged for 23 June. Mr Stewart (HKGD), Mr Duff (WIAD), Mr Carrick and Mr Bache (POD) and members of HKGD were present.
2.
The following vacancies were considered:
HM Commissioner Deputy Governor Governor
Deputy Governor Governor
Governor
Anguilla Bermuda Gibraltar Gibraltar
Gilbert Islands Turks and Caicos
General
3.
Mr Carrick said that it was unfortunately the case at present that POD and the DS Boards were not able to go firm on appointments far enough ahead to meet the ideal requirements of dependent territories and of HMOCS officers concerned. He appreciated that this was not a satisfactory situation since HMOCS officers affected by the appointment of DS officers to dependent territory posts needed proper notice of moves in order to be able to make adequate arrangements before leaving a territory, and, if required, taking up a fresh appointment elsewhere. He could see no prospect of an immediate improvement in the time-scale to which POD was having to work in making appointments. But POD would still want to bid for the appointment of DS officers in dependent territory posts. If it proved difficult to nominate a specific candidate at an early stage, they would try to make an outline bid whenever time made this essential.
4.
Mr Stewart said that he was currently producing a paper on the staffing of the dependent territories in the 1980s. He would like to see built up a cadre of younger DS staff with experience of service in the dependent territories. Such staff would provide needed experience for manning dependent territory desks and could return to a dependent territory at a more senior level. Mr Carrick thought that this was a good idea, subject to the needs of individual career planning being borne in mind.
5. Mr Stewart raised the question whether a particular dependent territory post should be regarded from the outset as one better suited for a DS or an HMOCS appointment. Mr Carrick said that POD needed to find as many "slots" as possible, particularly for DS4 officers and would not like a firm decision to be taken at the outset as to whether a particular post should go to the DS or the
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