4. FCO involvement in the Market Assessments exercise will be integrated into our Top Management System as follows:
5.
(a)
(b)
(c)
a review by the geographical department desk officer of the country market assessment paper drafted by the DTI Market Branch. The aim would be to ensure that the paper was consistent with the commercial and other objectives agreed between the Post and the FCO. The process of consultation will begin with immediate effect (but will normally start in May in future years). It will be completed in good time to enable the second level of review, described at (b) below, to be finished by the end of September. The DTI Market Branch will send a copy of the market assessment paper to the geographical department for this purpose, and a copy to Posts who should return their comments (with a side copy to the DTI) to the geographical department. They in turn will pass their contribution on to their market branch. This consultation will also feed into the geographical department's return to its Under-Secretary in the Top Management Round;
the second level of the review would be on a regional basis, conducted by the Head of the geographical department with the Head of the appropriate Market Branch, to agree priorities within a group of countries. This process can take place either by means of an exchange of letters (copied to TRED) or in a meeting which TRED should be given the opportunity to attend. The process should be completed by the end of September so that internal DTI consultations (which the Head of TRED will attend) can take place in October/November. This will also feed into AUS (Economic)'s return in the Top Management Round and be used for his resource discussion; and
the third level of consultation would be an annual meeting, probably in late November/early December, between the DUS (Economic) and the DTI Deputy Secretary/Chief Executive of the BOTB to examine priorities and allocation of resources to export promotion by the DTI and Diplomatic Service on a global basis and to make recommendations for change and redeployment as necessary. On the FCO side these recommendations will be reflected in the overall decisions on the allocation of resources at the Board of Management.
I know that this procedure looks complicated, and that existing management requirements are placing an increasing burden on departments already under pressure. I am determined that the present exercise shall not place an undue burden on geographical departments. In most cases the work involved should not be more than that needed to produce a brief for a Ministerial visit; indeed, the papers themselves when agreed should be useful quarries for such briefs. TRED will have the central coordinating role in the operation, and they will of course be glad to help geographical departments with advice based on their general knowledge of export promotion work and strategy. (They are not qualified nor staffed to take the leading role on particular bilateral and regional trade issues, which remain the responsibility of geographical departments.)
6.
The new scheme will be introduced in the first instance for a trial period of two years. It will then be reviewed and modified as necessary in the light of experience.
Any queries about these arrangements should be addressed to TRED.
ANTONY ACLAND
DISTRIBUTION:
All Posts (including Dependent Territories)
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