Commonwealth Relations Office: Administration Department, Inspectorate: Registered...

This series contains policy records produced by the Inspectorate of the Commonwealth Relations Office Administration Department dealing with the establishment of the Inspectorate to monitor work carried out in High Commissions and other overseas posts in the Commonwealth.

Former file reference

For registered files of the Inspectorate see: FCO 84

No Commonwealth Relations Office Inspectors' reports have been preserved.

In 1999 Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Topics

International

The Foreign Office had long contained in its Chief Clerk's Department a number of inspectors of overseas posts whose work involved visiting posts to monitor and report on their performance, and to recommend changes in practice, workloads and staffing levels etc. This system was introduced into the Commonwealth Relations Office in 1964 as part of wider measures to standardise practices between the two Offices prior to merger. In January 1965, the administrative departments of the Commonwealth Office and the Foreign Office were merged to form the Diplomatic Service Administration Office, and both departments' inspectors became part of a single merged Inspectorate.