TNAG-0997-FCO40-1222-Future-staffing-of-Dependent-Territories-1981 — Page 80

CODE 18-77

Mo Hill

i

Reference 431113

Phave may hav you

villes. It ands five at just grains. ***

3 Brett Rocks.

2 4 APR 1981

Miss Brett-Rooks HKGD

DE

OFFICER

(27

STAFFING OF DEPENDENT TERRITORIES: HOUS

PA

BBR

еп

1. Mr Clift's (HKGD) submission of 12 December dealt with the problems of replacing retired HMOCS officers with DS officers. In his paragraph 4 he said we were considering separately the possibility of integrating a small number of existing HMOCS officers into the Diplomatic Service. This minute considers the issues involved and seeks views.

Numbers Involved

2.

There are currently 12 HMOCS officers serving in our dependent territories outside Hong Kong, including one, Mr Lloyd, on secondment from Hong Kong. Mr Redston, at present serving in Vanuatu, will take over from Mr Brooks as Administrator, Tristan da Cunha, this autumn, bringing the number to 13 (see annex A). The number excludes the two governors in Bermuda and Gibraltar, one of whom is a former DS officer, the other an MOD officer on secondment (see annex B). Sir Murray Maclehose in Hong Kong is also excluded.

Salaries and Allowances

3. The salaries of the 12 HMOCS officers are paid by the territories in which they serve. Mr W W Wallace is currently serving in the FCO (WIAD) and is paid by the FCO. Only Bermuda and the Cayman Islands have the resources to pay allowances sufficient to attract ex-patriate officers to their territories. The others, apart from Montserrat, rely on the ODA to pay the allowances (from the Overseas Service Adi Scheme - OSAS) as well as any element of salary they cannot afford to pay. In Montserrat the shortfall is made up by the FCO, through a special sub-head operated by HKGD for topping-up governors' salaries and allowances.

Conditions of Service

4. I have not delved too deeply into the conditions of service of current HMOCS officers. Mr D K H Dale and Mr Lloyd are career HMOCS officers. The other 10 serving officers are all on contract terms, as Mr Redston will be. The normal age for retirement is 55, but exceptions are made. Pay is broadly comparable with UK equivalents. Further study is needed of the detailed implications of integration, for example superannuation arrangements, eligibility for pension, retirement gratuities etc. Where we take an officer on, we would presumably follow the usual practice and put him onto DS salary, allowances, super- annuation etc with reserved rights. We might sugar the pill for those we did not take on by offering them guaranteed (temporary) employment, (eg short spells in a dependent territory oriented Department in the FCO in between tours in the dependent territories).

Main Considerations

5.

When deciding whether to take the 13 HMOCS officers into

the Diplomatic Service, we would have to consider each case

/individually