TNAG-0694-FCO40-844-Inspection-of-Hong-Kong-Department-1977 — Page 14

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And we are not convinced that even then they will necessarily produce a full load for a political department with Head of department and Assistant. We consider therefore that in the interim the department might conveniently absorb the General and Administrative, Judicial and Legal Staffing sections of Gibraltar and General department once the Gibraltar section has been transferred to Southern European department. would add 6 desk officers (slightly more if the Administrative, Judicial and Legal Staffing section have to continue recruitment for Hong Kong) and should not over-burden the senior staff of Hong Kong department even if acceptance of the planning paper does call for some additional staffing for Hong Kong purposes. The disadvantage of bringing these two sections together with Hong Kong department would be, as with Gibraltar and General department, one of linking political and functional sections in one department. There would also have to be a split of Under-Secretarial responsibilities. There would on the other hand be some advantage in bringing together the Administrative, Judicial and Legal Staffing section with the department responsible for the Territory which has most of the remaining HMOCS and contract staff. We recommend therefore that:

(i) Hong Kong department should remain in being

after the dispersal of the Indian Ocean section at the end of June;

(ii) as soon as the move of the Gibraltar section to

SED has been finally agreed, the remaining two sections of Gibraltar and General department should be transferred to Hong Kong department;

(iii) the amalgamated department be known as Hong Kong and General department;

(iv) the staffing and responsibilities of the newly

amalgamated department should be further reviewed at the end of 1977.

12. We have in our report on Gibraltar and General department recommended that in the longer term the responsibility for the Administrative and General sections should pass to the present Commonwealth Co-ordination department. The Dependent Territories

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