43. Mr. Gresham Cookeasked the Prime Minister whether, in order to assist the export trade, he will arrange for commercial officers to be seconded to embassies, and appointed by the President of the Board of Trade rather than by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
§ The Prime MinisterNo, Sir.
Experience has shown that the promotion of the export trade, no less than our other external interests, is best served by maintaining and developing a unified Foreign Service capable of dealing with the whole range of our international relations.
Mr. Gresham CookeIs my right hon. Friend aware that there is a strong feeling in industrial circles that the time has arrived when these commercial officers should receive their grounding in industry and be trained in industry through the Board of Trade and that in that way our export effort would be promoted? They should also have a long term of service. May I ask my right hon. Friend not to close his mind entirely to these suggestions?
§ The Prime MinisterOf course, we are always trying to think of what is a good adjustment. We have had different systems, but I notice that the study group of the Federation of British Industries, which reported in only May, 1960, said this:
We are convinced believers in a unified foreign service. The representation of British commercial interests abroad is too important to be left to one or two officers in a mission and forgotten about by the rest. All should be imbued with its importance and it should be regarded as a normal part of diplomatic activity.We must always try to see how we can improve it, but I think that fundamentally this is the right system.
§ Mr. SnowWill the Prime Minister bear in mind that representations made to his right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade about the 339 strengthening of our overseas missions in commerce have so far fallen on deaf ears? While I pay great tribute to the senior commercial ministers in our embassies, may I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether he is aware that there is a view that the subordinate staff are not adequately trained in commerce, especially in the day-to-day problems of finance and documentation? Will he, therefore, ask for advice as to what is practised by that successful exporter, the West German Government?
§ The Prime MinisterWe are always trying to improve these methods. I have had very good tributes from the main exporters I have consulted, such as the dollar export groups and other bodies, to the very good work now being done and the immense improvement in the work of our representatives overseas.
§ Sir H. NichollsWhile it is perfectly correct to claim that there has been a vast improvement in this field over the last eight years, there is still a long way to go. The reflection in my right hon. Friend's Answer that trade generally is happy about the present balance is not, I think, truly the view of the individual industrialists whom we meet from time to time. I hope that my right hon. Friend will not close his mind to looking again at this balance.
§ The Prime MinisterI am sure that there is more that we can do to improve the situation, but it would be a retrograde step to go from merely having one or two representatives of the Board of Trade in our foreign missions rather than trying to imbue the whole Foreign Service with the fact that this is part of the function that members of the Foreign Service should carry out. We will study, and all the time are studying, how we can improve that. but I should not like to switch back to the old system without a great deal of thought.