TNAG-0429-FCO40-494-Programme-Analysis-and-Review-(PAR)-Future-of-Dependent-Terr-1974 — Page 90

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tern and does not readily lend itself to a review

of unquantifiable costs and benefits such as those

Overseas

associated with foreign policy options; for this

natur

A

reason the Report is longer than it would otherwise

have been, and its presentation is to some extent

artificial, for the issues in question are essentially

political rather than financial. Moreover, it went

to print on 15 November 1973, and is therefore

already a little dated (thus Grenada is referred to

in the Report as an Associated State but has since

achieved independence, and some more recent statis-

tical material may now be available). But in my

view it would not be justifiable to devote labour

and time to the production of a second edition: the

resultant amendments would not affect the basic

conclusions in the Report, on which early Ministerial

directions are highly desirable. I make no apology

therefore for submitting the Report as it stands.

3. Paragraph 10.10 of the Report summarises its

conclusions. Briefly these are that except in the

the British Antarctic Tervetay, Falkland Islands Dependencies, British

op territories

case of Hong Kong, d

in our recur which it is in HMG's continuing interest to retáin as

confcious

>>

dependencies, we should now adopt a policy of accel-

erated decolonisation. The Report also distinguishes

between two major options in the field of economic

aid policy: first( in effect present policy) to

provide a level of aid which aims to establish an

economic and social infrastructure which a territory

can ultimately, though not necessarily immediately,

sustain from its own resources; alternatively,

aim at least in certain territories at a somewhat

}

to

Indian Ocean Territory and St Helena / Ascension

Island,

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