1

Registry No.

ECURITY CLASSIFICATION

Top Secret,

Secret.

Confidential.

Restricted.

Unclassified.

RIVACY MARKING

.............................................. In Confidence

CONFIDENTIAL

SECRET

DRAFT SUBMISSION

To:

Chief Clerk

PUS

Type 1 +

From

Mr Unwin

Telephone No. Ext.

f

Department

DSR11

TRANSFER OF GIBRALTAR INTERNAL SECTION FROM GIBRALTAR AND GENERAL DEPARTMENT TO SOUTHERN EUROPEAN DEPARTMENT

Problem

1. Should we now implement the Home Inspector's recommendation, following his recent inspection of the Joint FCO/ODM Departments and Southern European Department,

Department, that: a) responsibility for both internal and external

affairs of Gibraltar should be brought together in Southern European Department;

b)

SECTIONS

c)

the remaining section of Gibraltar and General Department should join Hong Kong Department; Gibraltar and General Department should then be disbanded.

Citati) includes

Staffing, policy and precedents

Background

2.

The PUS discussed the above proposals with

Sir. D-Tebbit (then Chief Clerk) and the Home Inspector last February. The proposed transfer of the Gibraltar internal section to SED was then linked to the possible split of the latter into a separate South East European Department and South West European Department in order to avoid over- loading SED. The Home Inspector reviewed the situation last March, but found no advantage in the split, SED's working load having then stabilised sufficiently to allow them to absorb the Gibraltar work. The proposed transfer has been accepted by those officials directly concerned, subject to a review of SED's workload and staffing six months after the transfer takes place.

Argument

3.

Administratively it is more efficient and economic for all work on Gibraltar to be dealt with in one department. The "rump" of G & GD, which is the policy-unit for/remaining

the

dependent territory departments, would then be too small to exist as an independent department. Most other Joint

/Departmenta

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