TNAG-0825-FCO40-1033-Terms-of-service-of-Diplomatic-Service-officers-serving-in-D-1979 — Page 6

The high salaries, lowish total allowances and freedom from certain expenditures seem nevertheless to have combined to provide not unfavourable and even generous total emoluments, which in any event are often charged to the budget of the Territory concerned.

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3. The problems have arisen when Governors, forgetful of the overall benefits of relatively high salaries and freedom from certain expenditures, have asked for review of their "inade- quate Entertainment Allowances". They have commonly submitted a pattern of entertaining which could only be catered for in a Head of Mission's frais. Frais are calculated on a personalised basis and can reflect the exceptional outlays required of a Head of Mission by virtue of his unique position in a host country. Recipients of such personalised ́allowances, however, commonly have certain major expenditures paid for direct from public funds. In assessing the frais, expenditures met from public funds do not figure in the agreed budget. If frais are assessed for Governors, expenditures which they do not meet must likewise be left out of their budgets. It is irrelevant that HMG may not meet them; what matters is that the officer for whom the frais are calculated does not. Moreover, the salary contribution required in calculation of frais is that for his own grade. Whenever we have assessed Governor's allowances on a frais basis, proper levels of Entertainment Provision have of course emerged but elimination from the budget of expenditures not actually met by the officer and/or use of his "true" salary contribution have commonly resulted in total allowances no higher and often less than those previously enjoyed.

4.

Using recently active cases to illustrate what may happen if all Governors were immediately put on frais, I have discussed with Mr Hunter and obtained his agreement to certain principles, to which I have added practical implications as follows:

i).

ii).

does this ever happen?

iii).

when Territories become independent, there will be no alternative to putting the British High Commissioners on to frais;

a

A Governor has/public and representational rôle analogous with that of a Head of Mission, thus should properly receive frais (i.e. basic allow- ance, Representational Addition and Entertainment Provision) which reflect the outlays required of him by virtue of that rôle;

An officer of Grade 3 or above who is serving other than as a Governor should receive a frais-type allowance, by analogy with an officer of the same rank serving at a normal DS Post other than as the Head of Mission;

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/iv).