work all their careers. We decided that the aims of the scheme would be more likely to be achieved if such officers did not spend their entire careers in the scheme or in the department.
16. The qualities required include energy, initiative and imagination, qualities which are important in many fields. But the work involves no executive responsibilities such as a person with these qualities would probably wish to assume at some stage. By opening the posts to people who would only spend a few years in the job it was expected that the number of suitably qualified men and women available would be considerably increased.
17. A further purpose in deciding to staff the new organization largely from the combined grades was to aim in the long term to have officers in many departments who had had some experience of C.D.O. work. These officers would be aware of what the scheme could do for departments; they would also have gained a wide experience of dealing with people and a broad understanding of government and public attitudes which will, it is hoped, be of use in many organizations.
18. In any case there seemed to be no other way of gathering together the numbers of experienced officers required.
19. The C.D.O. posts are for Administrative Officers and Senior Administrative Officers but include one Assistant Secretary for Chinese Affairs. There is one Senior Administrative Officer and the eight Administrative Officers vary in seniority from two appointed to the service in August 1968 to the senior officer on the Administrative Officer time-scale.
20. In order to secure Liaison Officers who could be transferred into and out of the scheme the original intention was to use Executive Officers for all the new posts. There is an increasing field for officers of this grade who have had experience in dealing with the public and the press and who have a wide knowledge of government, and these posts are excellently suited to give the right experience to those capable of absorbing it. But there were not enough. We required sixty Executive Officers to fill our posts and they were not available. It was therefore agreed that we should circulate the whole public service asking for volunteers from officers on a salary point within the E.O. I and E.O. II salary scales for a period of two to three years secondment. This has proved to be a successful expedient, and on 24th January, 1969 the staff was:
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