TNAG-0289-FCO40-325-Departmental-briefs-on-Hong-Kong-1971 — Page 185

of the Governor or Administrator.

In some territories the vast

majority of these civil servants are recruited locally, but in

others many of the senior civil servants and most of the experts such

as doctors, engineers and even teachers still have tobe provided from

overseas. They come from four main sources: first, permanent and pensionable members of H.M. Overseas Civil Service (the former Colonial Service), whose numbers are now diminishing all too rapidly;

second, contract officers; third, the Corps of Specialists

administered by the Overseas Development Administration; and finally,

in recent years, a small number from the Diplomatic Service.

9.

This provision of expert manpower cannot be regarded in the

dependent territories merely as a bonus, as it can be in those

independent countries to whom we make similar expertise available;

it is an essential tool of government. Unfortunately, many of the

territories are small, and do not possess the more elaborate facilities

available in the larger independent countries. To the extent to

which this makes it more difficult to find suitable people to fill such

posts, and to provide continuity in them, we recognise that it is

essential to make the conditions of service sufficiently attractive.

We hope in future to ensure that the dependent territories obtain a

rather larger share of the experts available than in the recent past.

10.

Already, before the Noble Lord tabled his Motion, steps had been

put in hand to improve the position. Indeed in 1969, while the

Party opposite still held responsibilities in this field, two senior

officials, one from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and one from

the Ministry of Overseas Development had presented a report on the future staffing of the remaining dependent territories. Following that report, in August 1970, a new section was set up within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, to take over from the Ministry of Overseas Development sole responsibility for the recruitment of administrative staff for the dependent territories. This is now fully

operative.

11.

In September, the senior civil servant in charge of the Dependent Territories Administration Division of the Office began

in consultation with the ODA a review of other administrative problems

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