TNAG-2077-FCO40-2957-Hong-Kong-culture-1990 — Page 89

In confidence

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consultation and discussion between Representatives and heads of missions overseas, between Representatives and headquarters, and between FCO and Council geographical departments in London.

6.4 The Council's geographical departments are also in regular contact with their counterparts at ODA, and discussions between ODA Development Divisions and Council Representatives overseas are frequent. The Council wishes to develop strategic planning with ODA in London, preferably by holding all strategic discussions relating to aid countries on a trilateral basis with both sponsors. The Council also plans by 1991/92 to have established a cycle of similar meetings with other government departments and non-departmental public bodies involved in cultural relations: the Department of Education and Science (DES), the Office of Arts and Libraries (OAL), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the BBC are the first priorities.

6.5 The exchange of information to support these discussions will also be enhanced. Beginning in 1990, the Council is introducing a summary strategic planning return that will assess country objectives and the resources needed to achieve them over a four-year period. This return, completed by all Representatives, will be copied to FCO and ODA who, in turn, will copy their summary objectives papers to the Council. Integrated long-term planning will thus be centrally co-ordinated from a position of mutual information exchange and common under- standing.

6.6 The traditional agency relationship with ODA is undergoing significant change. In July 1989, the Council signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with ODA, establishing the conditions for project management provided by the Council. By April 1991, agreement will be reached on the means through which the Council will be commissioned by ODA to provide other services traditionally funded by the aid administration grant, notably the Technical Co-operation Training Programme (TCTP). The Council's long-term aim is to ensure aid programmes are supported through the services the Council supplies, and to continue to be the principal partner to ODA in delivering educational aid. Organizational changes are in hand to give effect to this.

Internal planning

6.7 Two major reviews concerning the administration of exchanges work and the structure of the organization reported in April 1989. An implementation study on cost effectiveness and reorganization has integrated

their findings and made proposals for an appropriate scale of change in the context of relocation.

6.8 The study includes plans for the establishment of a group that, by 1993/94, will establish a system of long-term policy evaluation to measure the effectiveness overseas of the Council's investment in cultural relations.

Geographical planning

6.9 The Council places increasing emphasis on the rigorous determination and application of geographical priorities. This is to ensure:

⚫ that scarce resources are deployed where they will be most productive in the achievement of objectives

• that departments within the organization weight their activity appropriately.

6.10 The geographical priorities cycle in 1989/90 projected plans for the following year (1990/91) and the planning triennium. The main strategic decisions are:

⚫ to give priority to work in Europe and special attention to Hong Kong and Southern Africa

• to focus in aid countries on programmes and services key to ODA's planning

⚫ to seek additional recurrent resources from government to enable the achievement of new objectives

• to maintain holding operations in the lowest- priority countries, so retaining a capacity for growth when this serves British interests

⚫ to extend co-financing initiatives

⚫ to monitor results scrupulously, especially in new programmes.

6.11 The principal risks are that:

• FCO and/or ODA agency business will diminish

•

potential interests elsewhere will suffer from the emphasis given to Europe

⚫ the impact of relocation on UK services will impede overseas operations

⚫ contingency plans for meeting budgetary shortfalls in the planning triennium, described in chapter 16, will have to be implemented if there is no increase in the grant-in-aid. These would require overseas budget cuts and threaten the achievement of objectives. Avoiding this takes priority over using increases in the government grant to initiate new activity.

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