§ 7. Mr. Harry GreenwayTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the number of personnel in post on Foreign and Commonwealth Office duties (a) abroad and (b) in the United Kingdom; at what cost; what were the corresponding figures five, 10 and 15 years ago in numbers and cost in real terms; and if he will make a statement.
§ The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mr. Alastair Goodlad)The total diplomatic wing United Kingdom-based establishment of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is currently 6,648, of which 4,048 are serving at home and 2,600 overseas. The corresponding figures in earlier years were 6,578 in 1988–89, of which 3,775 were serving at home and 2,793 overseas, 6,763 in 1983 and 7,275 in 1978. A breakdown of personnel between home and overseas in 1978 and 1983 is not available.
The estimated pay bill for 1993–94 is £265 million. The equivalent figure on the same price base for 1988–89 was £257 million and for 1983–84 £251 million. A comparable figure for 1978–79 is not available.
These figures should be seen against the background of increasing demands on the diplomatic wing. We continue to exercise rigorous control over United Kingdom-based staff numbers at home and overseas.
§ Mr. GreenwayI thank my right hon. Friend for that reply—[Interruption.] For all the hilarity in the House, I am sure that we are grateful to all members of staff in embassies and consulates around the world for the excellent work that they do for our country. Does my right hon. Friend share my concern that the number of staff in post in the foreign service is diminishing rather than increasing at a time when more are needed because the world situation is so much more complex with the break-up of countries into much smaller units? Will he convey the support of the House to the Treasury and say that we want more people in post and properly supported because that is the only way in which this country's influence can be sustained and improved and in which trade can be improved?
§ Mr. GoodladI am extremely grateful to my hon. Friend for his remarks. The Government will ensure that the level of staffing in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is equal to the tasks laid on us.
§ Ms CoffeyHas the Minister received any more information from Foreign Office staff in Turkey about the possible release date for my constituent David 974 Rowbottom and his partner who are being held by the PKK? Can he give the families any assurances because, as he will appreciate, they are extremely worried?
§ Mr. GoodladI will write to the hon. Lady.
§ Mr. WilkinsonWhat evidence is there that, as we supposedly proceed towards ever-closer union in Europe, there will be an ever-diminishing number of Foreign and Commonwealth diplomats stationed in European Community countries? Will my right hon. Friend confirm that there will be no diminution of posts, but rather the opposite, in the real growth areas in the world where significant economic advances are being made and where opportunities really exist for British business, such as the Pacific basin and south America?
§ Mr. GoodladMy hon. Friend is absolutely right. We shall have people where they are needed.
§ Mr. George RobertsonIs there any chance that Foreign Office Ministers might drop the supercilious veneer that they deploy in circumstances in which the most trivial and most serious issues are still at stake?
Will the right hon. Gentleman come clean with the House and with the country about what the consequences will be if the Treasury gets its way with regard to the cuts in our diplomatic representation overseas and, especially, the cuts in the British Council and in the BBC World Service? Why will Ministers not speak out about the permanent—perhaps irreparable—damage that will be done to institutions such as the BBC World Service, which is respected across the planet, which almost every day speaks with authority and balance to some 146 million people, and which may well face budget cuts of about £13 million next year? Surely it is the duty of the Foreign Office to come out from behind the diplomatic language and fight for its corner and for the country.
§ Mr. GoodladThe hon. Gentleman is extremely eloquent in dreaming up ghosts at which to start. I can assure him that we will ensure that the resources provided are equal to the tasks laid upon us.
§ Mr. AllasonWill my right hon. Friend and his colleagues exercise a little less reticence in attacking ill-informed press criticism of Foreign Office expenditure overseas? Will he confirm that the appointment of the Governor of Bermuda, for example, costs the British taxpayer nothing and that the Government of Bermuda meets the bill in full? Why was it left to the Governor of Bermuda, and not Foreign Office Ministers, to draw attention to the crass criticism in The Mail on Sunday and The Times, among other newspapers?
§ Mr. GoodladIf I were to occupy myself dealing with crass criticism by newspapers I should not have time for anything else. However, my hon. Friend is absolutely right that the Governor of Bermuda costs the British taxpayer nothing, as he is paid for by Bermuda. The Premier of Bermuda is in this country today and is very welcome here.