PRIME MINISTER C ivil S ervice Manpower C^^V^Jr

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PRIME MINISTER

C i v i l S e r v i c e Manpower

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t h i s morning, you l e f t

In your summing up at C a b i n e t

open the way i n which the L o r d P r e s i d e n t s h o u l d

conduct

h i s b i l a t e r a l d i s c u s s i o n s w i t h Departmental M i n i s t e r s . 2.

.

«o

Tb

The Lord P r e s i d e n t h i m s e l f has s u g g e s t e d , both i n

p r i v a t e c o n v e r s a t i o n w i t h you and at C a b i n e t ,

there

that

s h o u l d be a new M i n i s t e r i a l Group on t h e l i n e s o f MISC 11

Expenditure

( t h e C h a n c e l l o r ' s Group which examined t h e P u b l i c Savings i n 1980-81).

In my b r i e f

f o r t h i s morning's

I s e t out some o f t h e d i f f i c u l t i e s i n t h i s course:

Cabinet,

notably,



t h a t o t h e r M i n i s t e r s r e s e n t b e i n g s u b j e c t e d t o ' s t a r chamber'

treatment.

A more p r a c t i c a l

difficulty

i s t h a t of

assembling



a quorum at a time when a l o t o f M i n i s t e r s p l a n t o be away

b e f o r e t h e P a r t y Conference.

On b a l a n c e ,

I am i n c l i n e d t o

t h i n k t h a t i t would be b e t t e r i f t h e Lord P r e s i d e n t were l e f t

to conduct these t a l k s on h i s own, b r i n g i n g i n a Minister

Treasury

( L o r d C o c k f i e l d o r a n o t h e r ) where t h e r e i s any

overlap w i t h the P u b l i c Expenditure

operation.

This i s the

way i n which t h e C h a n c e l l o r and t h e C h i e f S e c r e t a r y propose

to conduct t h e i r own

operations.

3. However, i f you wished t o c r e a t e a new M i n i s t e r i a l Group

f o r t h e purpose, then I suggest t h a t t h e members might i n c l u d e

the Lord P r e s i d e n t h i m s e l f ( i n t h e c h a i r ) ; a T r e a s u r y M i n i s t e r

( s u b j e c t t o t h e C h a n c e l l o r of t h e Exchequer's views, t h i s

might be Lord C o c k f i e l d ) ; a ' n e u t r a l ' M i n i s t e r w i t h r e l a t i v e l y

s m a l l s t a f f r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s ( I would suggest the L o r d P r i v y

S e a l , i f he c o u l d f i n d t h e t i m e , because he i s not h i m s e l f

i n charge of a Department); and the S e c r e t a r y of S t a t e f o r

Trade, whose z e a l f o r s t a f f r e d u c t i o n s i s a l r e a d y demonstrated

but who i s abroad u n t i l 3 October. Or you might t h i n k of

adding Mr J e n k i n who has done r a t h e r w e l l h i m s e l f and has a

Treasury background. We would, o f c o u r s e , p r o v i d e t h e S e c r e t a r i a t ,

w i t h h e l p from CSD. The Group might p r o c e e d i n t h e same way as

/MISC 11,

-2-

MISC 11, by i n v i t i n g t h e i n d i v i d u a l D e p a r t m e n t a l M i n i s t e r s

to appear b e f o r e i t . But g i v e n t h e problems o f g e t t i n g

such a group t o g e t h e r f o r s e v e r a l meetings a t t h e p r e s e n t ,

I t h i n k t h a t , i f you wished t o proceed i n t h i s way, we

might have t o a l l o w a l i t t l e more time f o r c o m p l e t i o n o f

the e x e r c i s e , and b r i n g i t back t o C a b i n e t e a r l y i n

November o t h e r than i n t h e m i d d l e o f October.

Perhaps you would l e t me know how you would l i k e t h e

Lord P r e s i d e n t t o proceed.

ff

13 September 1979

JOHN HUNT