TNAG-0996-FCO40-1219-Inspection-of-Hong-Kong-and-General-Department--February-198-1981 — Page 33

ADMINISTRATION IN CONFIDENCE

is headed by a seconded officer with expert knowledge of the Territory, its experience of Whitehall procedures and of drafting is thin and the Assistant has an important role in advising the Third Room of what Ministers expect and on form and procedures. Fewer policy issues, arise from the General Section. With more junior staff on this side and much detailed personnel werk the Assistant gives it rather closer attention and supervises correspondence with Colonial Governors and senior Administrators. Like the Head of Department the Assistant travels alot. He expects to be away for at least four weeks each year in Hong Kong and the Caribbean.

29.

It is right that the Assistant should be a generalist DS officer who can lend balance to the Hong Kong/China expertise of the Head of Department and Head of Section. He needs to have Whitehall and FCO experience and be capable of carrying the Department when Mr Clift is away. The pressure of work on the Assistant in HKGD is not as great as in a large and busy political department, nor does his role sandwiched between a good Head of Section and lead of Department allow a great deal of scope except when the latter is away. I was somewhat dubious whether the DS5S grading was justified but as the Assistant is in charge of the Department for at least two months each year I concluded that the higher grading should continue.

Hong Kong Section

D$5

Senior Research

Officer

DS8

Mr P J Williamson (on secondment from the Hong Kong Government)

Mr A W Friar (blocking a DS7E post)

Mr M A Searle

30. Arnong major recurring issues handled by the Section are immigration from China, Vietnam refugees, the Hong Kong garrison, civil aviation and the Colony's external relations with China. Most of Mr Williamson's time is spent with the urgent issues of the day. Internal and external affairs are interwoven. and he deals with a wider range of subjects than cross the desks of most officers in a geographical department. PQs, MPs' letters and briefs for visiting Hong Kong politicians provide a lot of paperwork.

31. The Head of Section is a demanding and interesting job held by an officer seconded by the Hong Kong Government. This seems to work well and 1 see continuing advantage in having someone with detailed knowledge of the Hong Kong bureaucracy who has an instinctive understanding of attitudes and likely reactions. He will be at something of a disadvantage for the first year or so as he struggles to master Whitehall office procedures. He may have relatively little experience, too, of drafting. This is even more of a handicap when the other two members of the Third Room are a Research Officer and a new entrant. I believe the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, although both the Assistant and Head of Department find themselves with alot of redrafting. Of the three posts in the Third Room I think it is probably best that the Head of Section should be occupied by a seconded officer from Hong Kong. He needs to be sufficiently senior so as to have had experience of the Government Secretariat there. I so recommend.

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