§ Mr. Fletcher-Cookeasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has for future staffing arrangements in the dependent territories.
§ Lord BalnielA review has recently been carried out of arrangements for expatriate staffing in dependent territories. The main conclusion is that in the case of administrative staff there are78W special long-term requirements which can best be met by the establishment of a small home-based career group within the Diplomatic Service, to be known as the Dependent Territories Administrative Branch.
For all other expatriate staff it is proposed to begin applying arrangements in accordance with the new approach to supplementation announced by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Overseas Development in reply to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Darwen (Mr. Fetcher-Cooke) on 8th June 1972. These new arrangements are not intended to affect existing policies of filling posts with local officers where possible. Subject to the agreement of dependent territory Governments it is hoped to bring the arrangements into effect by the end of the year.
Since the amount of expenditure which will be incurred in the current financial year cannot yet be estimated, token provision has been made in the 1973–74 estimates to secure parliamentary authority for the new branch.—[Vol. 838, c. 151–2.]