TNAG-0715-FCO40-911-Future-of-the-Dependent-Territories-4 — Page 90

FR Barratt CB

Deputy Secretary

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AJ MON

HM Treasury

Parliament Street London SWP 3AG

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Direct Dialling 01-233 3889

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CW Fogarty Esq CB

Ministry of Overseas Development

Eland House

Stag Place

London SW1E 5DH

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Christopher.

COUNTRY POLICY PAPERS

(91)afers

Thank you for your letter of 27 July. I think it takes us some way (89 forward. I would only like to add some further comments on the number of Country Policy Papers to be produced and the use to be made of the FCO Country Assessment Sheets.

2. I have some sympathy with Michael Butler's point that CPPS should continue to be produced if only as an argument for continuing to give aid. No aid programme should continue to run from year to year without the continuing need for it being examined. What I do doubt is whether a full blown CPP is necessarily the right means of checking the validity of all current aid programmes. For the smaller programmes, this could be done by some less laborious process. I would accordingly

be glad to know how ODM presently review the case for continuing the

smaller aid programmes; and how you think the FCO, Department of Trade

and ourselves could best be brought into that review process.

3. Subject to clarification on that point, I would be happy to

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endorse the original proposals you put to us, as modified in my earlier (86)letter of 15 May. The present CPP system was commissioned with the best of intentions, but too often the papers have followed policy decisions rather than led to them. I see considerable merit in concen- trating upon the more significant programmes with regular reviews at frequent intervals. But in doing so I attach some importance to building sufficient flexibility into the system to allow us to commission a CPP for any country if there is an apparent need. As to how this can be done I would suggest that the list of prospective CPPS be added as an Annex to the Aid Strategy paper circulated by your Minister to her colleagues each year.

Both

On the comparative merits of Chapters I and II of the CPP and the FCO's Country Assessment Sheets we have no strong views. appear to us to cover the right ground. Our only request, at this

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