The NRI is part of the aid administration and is directly responsible to the Minister for Development Cooperation. Crown Agents for Overseas Governments and Administration provide procurement and management services to governments of developing countries, to the UK and other donors. In formulation, implementation and evaluation of development policy, the Government cooperates with NGOs, research institutes and private enterprise. Allocations of responsibility, at ministerial as well as on administrative level, between the Aid Administration on the one hand and the Foreign Policy Departments of the FCO and the Treasury on the other, traditionally have been subjects of regular discussions. Various mechanisms for internal and external coordination and consultation have been created, in order to achieve compromises between the above mentioned organisations.
British practice allows ministers to interfere in each other's affairs.
As in the Aid Policy Department, officials from ODA and the Diplomatic Wing take counsel in the Aid Policy Board and the Aid Policy Management Group. In addition the Prime Minister may install Sub-committees. In 1975 the white paper on development cooperation, More Help for the Poorest, was published, on which current British aid objectives are based. Policy objectives are further elaborated in Sector Policy Papers, in Country Objective Papers and Country Review Papers, commitment targets, strategy papers for technology development and transfer, and corporate plans. Some of these documents are published.