TNAG-0592-FCO40-725-Inspection-of-Hong-Kong-and-Indian-Ocean-Department-1976 — Page 72

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Future Structure

9. Our long-term recommendations for the department as a whole depend upon the outcome of our recommendation (in the Inspection report on Southern European department) that the Gibraltar section should be transferred to SED. If this recommendation is not accepted, Gibraltar and General depart- ment should remain together. We accept that political considerations may not allow a transfer at present but still believe that the only satisfactory ultimate home for the Gibraltar section is in the Southern European department. Meanwhile, there is no point in an interim move elsewhere. If on the other hand the transfer of Gibraltar section is accepted then the remaining two sections of Gibraltar and General department will no longer justify departmental status and it will be necessary to consider their future.

10. We started our inspection believing that there might be advantage in bringing at least the Administrative, Legal and Judicial Staffing section together with the FCO adminis- trative departments in Curtis Green. The argument for doing so is that this would enable a more unified control of staffing at a time when Dependent Territories staffing commitments, particularly for Governors, have increasingly to be met from Diplomatic Service resources. On the other hand the section would not fit easily into Curtis Green, either physically or organisationally.

And it is so regularly consulted by desk staff in the Dependent Territories Division, whose concern with administration of the Dependent Territories involves them constantly in staffing and recruitment problems that there are obvious advantages in proximity. We recommend that the section should remain with the General section in the Dependent Territories Division whilst maintaining the closest possible liaison with all three Personnel departments and making every effort to bring its methods and records in line with theirs. We shall, however, review the position further when we inspect the FCO Personnel departments in mid-May this year. The section's responsibilities will diminish steadily if, as we have recommended, Hong Kong assumes responsibility for its own recruitment and the Solomon Islands and other Pacific territories become independent. over the next two years. There will certainly come a time when its residual functions should be absorbed in the Personnel departments and we shall consider and make recommendations as to how this might be achieved.

4.

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