TNAG-0996-FCO40-1219-Inspection-of-Hong-Kong-and-General-Department--February-198-1981 — Page 43

CODE 18-77

Miss B Brett Rooks, HKGD

Reference.

XEC 430/25

HKA 4131T

AMY LO 5:

12 JUN 1981

ICES

4.Y

04.

TRANSFER OF RESPONSIBILITIES

PA

5BR

siwan Teken

сп

1. Your minute of 18 May raised the possibility that certain financial and administrative procedures, presently under your administration, should be transferred to PSD. We have given close consideration to this proposal, which we have looked at in conjunction with Mr Wheeler's recent Inspection of your Department.

2.

We are not convinced that the time is right for this transfer to be effected. The staffing of the Dependent Territories is an area which requires specialised knowledge: the administration expertise which HKGD have will not be readily and easily transferable to us, especially as the debate continues about the details of integrating HMOCS officers in the DS. In addition PSD itself has only recently worked through the effects of the 1980 inspection, and we are in the throes of taking on a significant area of work from PCD concerned with the administration of non-ministerial conferences. We need to see how this works out in practice (our staff remains at the diminished post-inspection level) before even considering taking on more. I am far from convinced that we could take on the proposed amount of specialised work at our present level of staff.

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3. Part I and paragraph 41 of Part II of Mr Wheeler's report do not in any case amount to a recommendation that we should take on some of HKGD responsibilities: it seems to me that you are jumping the gun.

As and when HKGD's structure alters as part of a general reshuffle of Asian departments, we shall be required to reassign the work of the General Section. By this time perhaps the question of the absorption of HMOCS officers into the DS will have been thought through. For the time being however, from PSD's point of view we are unwilling to advance that timescale and take on extra responsibil- ities at present.

T Bryant

Personnel Services Department CG409 233-5879

11 June 1981

cc:

Mr Bennett, PPD Mr Brighty, POD Miss Rothwell, POD

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