§ 12. Mr. M. Clark Hutchisonasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs the number at present of established and of unestablished officers, respectively, of the 365 Foreign Service appointed in the United Kingdom and serving in overseas posts; and the number of such officers in the diplomatic and consular services serving in overseas posts at the beginning of 1939.
§ Mr. Selwyn LloydThe present numbers of established and unestablished staff recruited in the United Kingdom and serving overseas are 1,704 and 329 respectively. The corresponding figures at the beginning of 1939 were 733 and 69.
§ Mr. Clark HutchisonI thank my right hon. and learned Friend for that information. Will he note that these figures denote a great increase, and will he consider setting up a Departmental or other committee to reduce them?
§ Mr. LloydI am glad that my hon. Friend has asked that supplementary question. I want to make clear, to begin with, some of the reasons for this increase. Before the war we maintained diplomatic relations with 53 foreign countries; now the figure is over 70. There are now many more international organisations than before, such as United Nations, N.A.T.O., O.E.E.C. and the Coal and Steel Community. The Foreign Office has taken over the Persian Gulf from the old India Office, and maintains certain regional offices. There is a wider range of functions. The Foreign Office is responsible for information and for commercial functions in particular. I may perhaps alleviate my hon. Friend's anxiety if I say that, compared with 1,704 this year, there were 1,888 last year—so it can be seen that we are very anxious to cut down staff where possible.