TNAG-1002-FCO40-1238-Colonial-regulations-in-the-Dependent-Territories-1981 — Page 5

AGENDA ITEM NO. 17

ADMIN IN CONFIDENCE

Also at HITS 025/

HIG 02513

RECEIVED IN... ....

04 FEB 1981

DESK OFFICER INDEX

PA

OAGS' CONFERENCE 1981

COLONIAL REGULATIONS

7

1.

A working paper was prepared by the Governor, Cayman Islands, on the abolition of Colonial Regulations and was submitted to the Governors' Conference 1979 (item 5(e)). The Conference agreed that HKGD should be invited to review the existing Colonial Regulations in the light of this working paper to see which outmoded sections could be deleted or re-drafted.

2. HKGD has noted that many of the procedures in Colonial Regulations are already incorporated within General Orders, Financial Instructions, or other instructions for individual dependent territories or within Diplomatic Service Procedure. However there is no early prospect of a full-scale review being undertaken, given existing staff levels. The services of an experi- enced HMOCS officer, on a part-time basis, may be sought to undertake the review at a later date.

3.

At the same time, dependent territories may wish to consider whether their own Staff, Finance and Accounting Regulations need up-dating. If so, each territory will need to assess whether this one-off task can be undertaken locally or whether the work would justify the employment of an experienced person from outside.

4. The Conference will also wish to know that Mr F E L Carter CBE, Adviser on Audit and Accounting, has completed an Audit and Accounting Guide which ODA hopes to issue to desk officers and DevDiv in the near future. If DevDiv and Governors consider that this Guide would be useful to them, ODA could be asked to widen its distribution.

Hong Kong and General Department

ADMIN IN CONFIDENCE