TNAG-0306-FCO40-342-Equipment-for-technical-institutes-in-Hong-Kong-provision-of-1971 — Page 166

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

The Secretary of State's Private Office will ask Mr. Wood's Private Office for a brief, at the same time informing the appropriate F.C.O. geographical or functional Department of the requirement;

Mr. Wood's Private Office will commission the brief from the responsible Department in the O.D.A.;

The responsible Department in the O.D.A. will then draft the brief, consulting the appropriate geographical Depart- ment of the F.C.O. and/or other F.C.O. Departments as

necessary;

When the draft has been agreed, the O.D.A. Department concerned will prepare the brief in its final form, as required by the Secretary of State, and submit it through Mr. Wood's Private Office, who will transmit it to the Secretary of State's Private Office. It will be essential for briefs to indicate which Departments in both wings of the combined office have been consulted, and for copies to be sent to them. For briefs which involve aid matters in a secondary way only, the Secretary of State's Private Office will look to the F.C.O. Department con- cerned, who will be required to consult with the appro- priate O.D.A. Department in the preparation of the brief and to show in the final version that the Department has been consulted and to send them a copy. In borderline cases in which it is not wholly clear whether the aid considerations are primary or secondary it will be for the Secretary of State's Private Office to decide whether an F.C.O. Department or an O.D.A. Department should be asked to take the lead in producing the necessary brief, in consultation with the other side as appropriate. Similar procedures should be followed as appropriate for briefing other Ministers in the enlarged F.C.O.

Resolution of Disagreements between the two Wings

5. Where disagreement exists between the two wings of the office which cannot be resolved at official level the papers should be referred to the Minister for Overseas Development and to the appropriate F.C.O. junior Minister to see whether agreement can be reached at that level. If not, the papers should be submitted to the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary by the Minister who has major responsibility for the subject matter. This sub- mission should set out in one document the points of disagreement and the document should be agreed between the two wings.

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