ADMINISTRATION IN CONFIDENCE
Miss Burnside FOD - 00 309
13
• dem Kurul (POD)
(14512) Keleplumed this afternoon to Pay
feral X is of t
boud Be.
MERGER OF GENERAL SECTION ETC OF GEOD WITH HONG KONG DEPARTMENT: SECRETARIAL ARRANGEMENTS
1.
Diu
Subject to final approval by Ministers, the Gibraltar Section 14/2.
This move will
of G&GD will be transferred to BED from 1 March. clear the way for the long awaited implementation of a related recommendation by the Home Inspector in early 1976 that the remainder of G&GD, ie the General and Administrative, Legal and
We and G&GD Judicial Staffing Sections, should be merged with HKD. are beginning to make preliminary practical arrangements for this
Berger.
2.
When Mr Morgan inspected what was HKIOD in May 1976, he wrote as follows as regards the question of secretarial support for what was to become HKD1-
"The Head of Department, Assistant and two desk officers in the Hong Kong Bection of HKIOD do not and are unlikely to provide a full load for a Personal Assistant and two shorthand typists. Our count indicates, however, that whilst not providing a full load for three girls, they provide too much for two. We shall not, therefore, recommend any further outs in the expectation that recommendations for the department will bring an increased work load. Since we consider that the General and Administrative Legal and Judicial Staffing Bections of G&GD produce work for 14 x 62/3, we have recommended an overall establishment of 4 x 92/3 (including the PA) once these Sections are incorporated
the department. If, however, the Planning Paper La policy paper on Hong Kong subsequently approved by the Secretary of State necessitates an increase of Hong Kong desk staff, further secretarial staff may be needed." (Paragraph 22 of Part II of Mr Morgan's report.)
Mr Jasper in the General Section of G&GD tells me that Mr Morgan's report on G&GD did not mention the need for secretarial staff when the two Beations concerned join HKD. Mr Jasper also tells me that the two Sections in question genente a considerable amount of steno- graphic work and that it will be necessary to arrange for adequate facilities to handle their output from the date of their merger The General with HKD. I think that this point is self-evident. Bection consists of 1 065, 1 bs 7 and 1 39 and the Administrative, Legal and Judicial Staffing Seotion, once impending staff moves have taken place, will consist of 1 D66, 1 DS 9,1 DS10 and 1 part- time 185 (three days a walk). It is clear that IKD with its present secretarial resources could not meet the requirements of 64 additional officers. Hence, of course, Mr Morgan's recommendation, in the context of his report on HKIOD, that when the ramp of G&GD is merged with HKD there should be a tœal secmetarial establishment of 4, hcluding the Head of Department's PA.
3. As provided for in Mr Morgan's report, HKD's secretarial establishment is 3 x 82/3 but, at your request, we have contrived to manage with two secretaries since Miss Brittain's sudden departure on 10 December. It has not been easy to work this arrangement.
/ The Head
ADMINISTRATEN IN CONFIDENCE
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