TNAG-0920-FCO40-1131-Inspection-of-Hong-Kong-and-General-Department-and-transfer--1980 — Page 14

(PARTI)

ADMINISTRATION IN CONFIDENCE

it down slightly so that it could be maintained without excessive effort. My impression is that the department has in fact managed to keep up both the quality and coverage of its personnel management and that it continues to compare very favourably with that of outside organisations and indeed other parts of Whitehall. To some extent, the shrinkage of the total DS work force has helped this process: in March 1980 there were about 5703 staff as compared with 6309 four years earlier a reduction of some 91%. I do not think it would be efficient or wise to try and turn the clock back but some correlation must clearly be kept between the numbers of staff managed and the numbers appointed to manage them. More efficient record-keeping, procedures and paper circulation all help to raise standards of management without staff inflation and I refer below to some areas where there is room for further improvement of this sort. Another element of efficiency is keeping responsibility at the right level: I found that there had been both over-staffing and grade "creep" in some sections and have recommended the cutting of several posts and the downgrading of others, including that of one Assistant post from 5S to 5, of one Head of Section from 5 to 6/SEO, and of another from 6 to 7E, (the department itself having already arranged for the amalgamation of the junior Assistant post with that of Head of the 9/10 Management Unit). The net effect of this slimming down is an Ideal Establishment (see Pt III) of just over 84 posts for the department itself (plus one supernumerary DS5 while the need for a whole-time Resettlement Officer continues).

9.

The typing pools establishment of 26 which I am recommending is effectively 3 lower than the current establishment since I am proposing that 2 of the staff in the GOGGS pool should be transferred to the establishment of Research Department when the GOGGS Superintendent (Mrs Slay) retires in October 1980. Such other work as the pool handles should be readily absorbable by one of the pools in the main FCO building. As I explain in Part II, some anomalies have arisen over the gradings of the officers superintending the typing pools and the five supervising posts should in future include only one officer of Senior Superintendent grade.

10. On the question of probation and recruitment management (as I have said in my report on PPD), there is an equally good case to be made for handling either by PPD or POD. I have concluded that the present division of responsibility should be left unchanged. In doing so, I acknowledge that for the Secretarial Branch the case for combining recruitment with postings and general career management might weigh marginally in POD's favour if it were not for (a) the potential awkwardness of having one DS7E in overall charge of the Secretarial Branch and a second DS7E (on recruiting) subordinate to him/her and (b) the clear advantage from PPD's point of view - and that of general accommodation and staff economy in having an extra pair of 7E hands (and supporting CO) to share the responsibilities of the Recruitment "third room".

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11. My other main conclusions can be summarised as follows:-

(a) The time is not yet ripe for the transfer to POD of the personnel work

which is handled by Hong Kong and General Department (see note by HKGD at Annex B). But it will be prudent to include provision for its absorption when planning (with the benefit of experience gained from the accommodation changes I have recommended) the administration's occupation

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ADMINISTRATION IN CONFIDENCE