Circular Home 'A' 42/86
MANAGEMENT IN CONFIDENCE
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
London SW1H 9NL
11 March 1986
For information:
Staff in Grade 7 and above in
geographical departments
MINISTERIAL VISITS COMMITTEE (MVC)
HKK00715
RECEIVED IN ALGISTRY
1 4 MAR 1986
DESK OFFICER
INDEX
PA
GISTRY Acuon Take 24.
AjB 14/
1. In December 1983 the MVC was revived to help meet the Secretary of State's concern that overseas visits by the Prime Minister and FCO Ministers should be better targeted and coordinated. The Committee has since met at AUS level twice a year, in the Spring and Autumn, to consider proposals by Departments for overseas visits by Ministers. The Committee has put its conclusions to me for submission to the Secretary of State with side copies to other Ministers.
2.
The revived MVC has done a good job. Although Departments still submit their substantive proposals for visits overseas in the normal way, it has been helpful for Ministers and senior officials periodically to take an overview of where Ministers might most usefully pay visits. But there are one or two ways in which the arrangements might be further improved.
3.
It is, of course, important that Departments should continue to offer objective advice. But it is also necessary to be clear as to what Ministers are actually willing to do. To enable Ministers' views to be taken into account early enough in future, the Secretary of State's and Lady Young's Private Offices will be represented on the Committee. In addition, all the Ministerial Private Offices will be given an opportunity to comment on the MVC's conclusions before I submit them to the Secretary of State. This will also enable the Private Secretary to consult No 10 informally about visits by the Prime Minister if he wishes.
4. The second problem concerns the DUSs. It was originally envisaged that the MVC proper would meet at DUS level and that the sub-committee of AUSS would report to it. But this was soon seen to be an unnecessary duplication and the DUSS met only once. Unfortunately, thereafter they tended to be excluded altogether. In future the Committee's conclusions will also be circulated to the DUSS before I put them to the Secretary of State.
5.
The new procedures are set out in more detail in the annex to this circular.
ANTONY ACLAND
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