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at once and they need not conflict. On the one hand policy control must be exercised in a way which does not arouse resentment or stifle departmental initiative. On the other hand the major departments should as far as possible speak, and be seen to be speaking for themselves. Undoubtedly this will release a tremendous amount of public relations good-will which will vitally affect relations between the Government and the people.
42.
The way to meet the first requirement is to disband the I.S.D. as a department and to establish information policy control as an arm of the central secretariat organisation on the lines of the Finance or Establishment branches while executing much of the policy at departmental level. It would only be necessary to retain a small professional organisation to deal with those aspects of Government action which were not the fields of identifiable departments or to handle the public and press relations of those departments which are not large enough or suitable for the establishment of their own information units. Additionally there would be certain centralised services such as are presently provided by the various specialised sections of the I.S.D. - Film Unit, Photographic Section and Library, Distribution Section, Design and Display Section, Publishing Section, Overseas Features Editing Section, all of which are at present under the control of the department's Chief Publicity Officer.
43.
The establishment of the Director of I.S.D. and his deputy as members of the Secretariat responsible for policy advice and control in information matters would be a step really no more novel than having a political advisor, a financial secretary or an establishment officer and might in fact be a much more logical recognition of the relationship of the head of information services to the central Government. Outwardly it would demonstrate in most welcome fashion the recognition by the central Government that public opinion is a factor to be calculated at every step in our future progress.
44.
Functionally these changes would not prevent the head of the information services, who might be known as Information Secretary, from exercising direct control over his central servicing sections and over a small but high calibre section dealing with central Government matters. His control over information work in independently staffed departments would be necessarily indirect but the new relationship might make it more effective and would certainly make it more productive. 45.
The breaking-up of the I.S.D. would provide an opportunity to reward intelligent information staff for being good at their jobs instead of offering as the sole reward removal from those jobs.
46.
It would be necessary to fill a larger number of posts at a higher level but it would be possible to dispense with much of the infra-structure of junior grades who have proved in practice to be incapable of development to really useful status.
47.
It would also be possible to associate with this new concept the introduction of non-journalist Government officers, apart
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