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17.5
PRESS ENQUIRIES AND RELEASES
17.5 - 17.8
17.5.1
17.5.2
Enquiries from the UK press regarding DTs should be handled by News Department. Desk officers of a DT geographical Department should act in close consultation with News Department and should take care to consult it in advance over announcements about policy, conferences, visits of OAGs etc.
All press releases, whether for issue to the UK press or to the overseas press, and all communications with OAGs about the date of, or arrangements for, future press releases, should be referred in draft to News Department and Overseas Information Department, as appropriate. Those Departments should be consulted not only on the content but also on timing, embargoes and the list of recipients. Release dates should be fixed in the light of other forthcoming releases and of such factors as weekends or public holidays in the DTs or other countries affected, and of the time difference between the UK and the DTS.
17.5.3 It is sometimes necessary to send to OAGs telegrams or saving telegrams containing press releases from outside bodies for local issue eg notices from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission or the Royal Commonwealth Society for the Blind.
17.5.4 All relations with the press in a DT are conducted by the Government of that Territory
through their own Information Officer or Department.
17.6
17.6.1
VIP VISITORS TO DTs
If a Minister of HMG visits a DT, he will normally entrust his own press relations (including arrangements for personal interviews) to the Information Department of the Territory. The OAG will always advise the Minister on relations with the local press. The same procedure is followed for Royal Visits.
17.6.2 If the Prime Minister or the Secretary of State visits a DT, he will usually be accompanied by his own Press Officer(s), who work(s) in co-operation with the equivalent officers of the DT government under directives agreed at the time between the visiting Minister and the OAG.
17.6.3 Visits of influential personalities from the UK may be arranged by Information Policy Department (Visits Section) whe may, where appropriate, spenser speakers from the UK-for lecture tourS.
17.7
VIP VISITORS FROM DTS
Visits of influential personalities from DTs to the UK may be arranged by IPD (Visits Section), to whom reference should be made when such visits are contemplated.
17.8
17.8.1
INTERVIEWS BY OAGS VISITING THE UK
OAGs visiting the UK are not normally required to obtain the persmission of the Secretary of
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