TNAG-0699-FCO40-850-Maintenance-of-Government-Houses-in-Dependent-Territories-1978 — Page 23

UNCLASSIFIED

inserted for which special additional grant

in aid would be offered. If this extra money

for Government House were not acceptable to the

local government it would not be available for

anything else;

b) we would also point out that Government House

is part of the territory's assets and heritage

and that it will one day, in all probability,

be used as the Head of State's Residence.

It

is therefore in the territory's own interest

that it should be preserved and properly main-

tained.

Do you think you could get this across to your

Ministers? Or would it come in the Caribbean

more easily from DevDiv on their normal budgetary

visitation being presented as a new proposal

covering all grant aided territories throughout

the world? Would John Edwards agree to take

this burden on so as to divert odium from more

vulnerable OAGs?

This proposal comes I regret too late for this

year's budgetary exercise. Is there any prospect of its being introduced in 1979 (nevertheless on

the basis of its being an extra and one not

affecting the calculations for next year's

estimates where these have already been approved?

If you think you can go ahead and on the assumption

UNCLASSIFIED

/that

Malo