TNAG-0997-FCO40-1222-Future-staffing-of-Dependent-Territories-1981 — Page 111

GP Lloyd Esq CMG Deputy Governor

BERMULA

KESTRICTEL - STAFF IN CONFIDENCE

MKA 431

431 |

13

SWZO IN BOUSTRY NO. 51

2 0FEB 1981

23 DESKLOFFICER

INDEX

PA

REGISTRY

Action Taken

BBR

20113

20 February 1981

14

FUTURE STAFFING IN THE DEPENDENT TERRITORIES

1. Many thanks for your letter LGO 431/1 of 12 February containing a number of very useful comments on the paper circulated under cover of my letter of 30 December.

2. I had hoped to discuss your thoughts with you when you are in London at the beginning of next month, but unfortunately this coincides with a spell of leave which I had long planned, and I regret that we shall, once again, not meet. However, Philip Morrice will be happy to discuss the points which you raise and we shall be telegraphing, in conjunction with WIAD, next week about the various appointments which you have sought in the FCC.

3. In the meantime, you might care to have my own preliminary thoughts on your letter. These are as follows:

We

(a) I am not sure that the Financial Secretary posts need to be treated as "technical" and thus not a demand on the LS. do in fact have serving US officers who have successfully filled Financial Secretaryships in dependent territories and the financial aspect of dependent territory administration is, I think, of sufficient importance to warrant at least some officers getting a good grounding in the procedures. We shall of course look to ODA to recruit financial experts when this seems to be the most appropriate solution;

(b) I agree that there has been a tendency to separate the "political"

territories from those where the skills primarily needed are those of straightforward administration. However, senior administrators in the "political" territories do in fact spend the greater part of their time on dependent territory admini- stration rather than handling the diplomatic aspects of their work. After all, the burden of diplomatic activity is more likely to fall to H Embassy in the neighbouring claimant country. I do not, therefore, think that we can separate the territories out as you propose, although the "political" incum- bents will of course have to have proven diplomatic skills. The thrust of the paper was to bring home to those responsible for the administration of the DS that a new skill was going to have to be built up within the ranks of the LS;

RESTRICTED STAFF IN CONFIDENCE

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/(c)