ABSTRACT
This chapter shows that 'domestic' departments like Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) and the Employment Department Group (EDG) have extensive and important international responsibilities. The External Relations Group (ERG) structure within MAFF existed from 1955 until the late 1980s. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, MAFF played a central role in the negotiations to join the European Community, and after Britain achieved membership, the position of the department with regard to international expertise and negotiating weight in Whitehall changed dramatically. MAFF has acquired increased prestige and influence because of interdependence and the department will not willingly shed its influential international role. The Employment Department Group was formed in 1974, out of the Department of Employment and Productivity and provides a useful contrast to MAFF because of the very different clientele and orientation of the department. Institutional change is vital not only for departmental prestige and expertise but also for the allocation of lead authority.
