TNAG-0694-FCO40-844-Inspection-of-Hong-Kong-Department-1977 — Page 114

CODE 18 - 77

ADMINISTRATION IN CONFIDENCE

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HONG KONG DEPARTMENT: SHOULD IT REMAIN A JOINT FCO/ODM DEPARTMENT

1. You asked me to consider the draft of a minute that you have in mind to send to Mr Cortazzi recommending that HKD should cease to be a joint FCO/ODM Department and that responsibility for such aid work as is dealt with in the department should be transferred to the ODM.

2.

As I mentioned to you, I think it would be necessary to carry G & GD and PPD with us in making such a recommendation and that Mr Stanley, as the joint Under Secretary responsible for the Dependent Territories Division, should also be consulted. I therefore prepared the attached draft setting out the case in some detail. As I anticipated, however, Mr Jasper, to whom I have shown

Huar my draft, remains of the view when the rump of G & GD is merged with HKD there would be advantage in enlarged department being a joint one. It is true that the General Section of G & GD, like HKD, does not perform a normal aid function. Nevertheless, the General Section serves as the custodian of Mr Stanley's papers on ODM affairs and acts as a co-ordinator for action on ODM matters with the Heads of the Dependent Territories Departments, Caribbean Department, LAD and the ODM itself on matters arising from these papers. If the General Section were not to form part of a joint department its automatic access to ODM papers would be curtailed.

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3. For these reasons, I conclude, reluctantly, we had better drop the idea of HKD's ceasing to be a joint department, at least for the time being. We could review the position rfter, say, 6 months experience of working the merged department.

D.F. Milli

DF MILTON

28 January 1977