}
BRIEF NO. 7:
1.
STAFF IN CONFIDENCE INDIV
-
LENGTH OF GOVERNOR'S TERM OF APPOINTMENT
The term of appointment for Governors of Dependent
Territories has usually been 5 years. It is considered
that in present circumstances, it would be advantageous
to reduce this to 3.
2.
Circumstances have changed in recent years. There
are fewer Governorships to be filled: fewer HMOCS career
officers are being appointed as Governors, and an increasing
number of appointments have been made either on contract terms
or by secondment from the Diplomatic Service. Moreover, most
the of the remaining Dependent Territories are small:
Governors are supported by very limited expatriate staff
so that their responsibilities are less easily shared.
Under these conditions the claustrophobic atmosphere and
isolation of many of these small remote territories is
wearing, and a Governor is more liable to become stale.
3. For these reasons it seems likely that the good
government of the Dependent Territories will often be better
served if the term for/Governor's appointment were taken
a
as 3 rather than 5 years. This would not preclude appointment
for a longer term for good reason, nor a recommendation that
a Governor's term should be extended beyond 3 years if this
were thought desirable.
4. It is proposed that as a start the new appointments
considered to-day should accordingly be for 3 years.
STAFF IN CONFIDENCE- INDIV