HL Deb 08 July 1981 vol 422 cc694-7

3 p.m.

Lord Beloff

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what reductions have been made in the last 10 years in the strength of the British Information Service in the United States; and what are its present strength and geographical disposition.

Lord Skelmersdale

My Lords, the total staff of the British Information Services in the United States has been reduced in the last 10 years from 100 to 64, a reduction of 10 United Kingdom-based and 26 locally-engaged officers. The present establishment is made up of two United Kingdom-based officers in Washington and three in New York, supported by a total of 59 locally-engaged officers deployed as follows: Washington 8; New York 41; Atlanta 1; Boston 1; Chicago 2; Houston 3; Los Angeles 2; San Francisco 1.

Lord Beloff

My Lords, while I thank my noble friend for his illuminating statistics, might it not be held that recent events have suggested that, particularly in the case of those officers based in the United Kingdom, these were false economies, as the citizens of a country to which one is directing information can only act in a relatively minor capacity? Does not this reveal the constant pressure by the Treasury upon the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to reduce our facilities for presenting Britain's image and Britain's case abroad, whether through information services or through the BBC?

Lord Skelmersdale

My Lords, no, I do not think that this service is doing a bad job. I do not think that the numbers have been reduced unrealistically. Staff costs at the Diplomatic Service's 10 largest posts have been reduced by 10 per cent. in the last two years, and of course information work cannot be excluded from this exercise. In addition, all posts in the United States are being inspected at the present time in accordance with the normal three-yearly inspection cycle.

Lord Orr-Ewing

My Lords, will my noble friend consider whether 41 in New York and only 23 spread throughout the immense rest of the United States is a proper weighting? The effect in New York does not seem to have been very substantial in spite of the numbers, and certainly not as far as Mayor Koch is concerned.

Lord Skelmersdale

My Lords, the reason for the large preponderance in New York is, of course, that the centralised information gathering services of the United States are situated in that city.

Baroness Birk

My Lords, does the noble Lord not agree that the numbers are needed in New York because they arrange the tours and everything else all over the country? Does he also agree that even 10 years ago—and at that time I was doing some lectures for the British Information Services—certainly my impression and that of many Americans was that the services were very stretched and the staff was a very small one? Does the noble Lord not further agree that the amount of benefit that results from the work of the British Information Services taking knowledge of what is happening in this country to all parts of the United States is quite invaluable?

Lord Skelmersdale

My Lords, I said at the beginning of this Question that I was convinced that the Information Service in the United States was doing a very good job, and I would certainly agree with the noble Baroness.

The Earl of Kimberley

My Lords, in view of the fact that, in some people's opinion, the IRA have done quite well lately propaganda-wise on the west coast of America, and as we have only one representative in San Francisco, as my noble friend said, could not some of his henchmen from New York go out to support him?

Lord Skelmersdale

My Lords, the entire Information Service is, of course, fully and continuously briefed from London through the medium of both Washington and New York, and any support that the outlying areas require is, of course, continuously and consistently given.

Lord Avebury

My Lords, following what the noble Lord opposite has said, will the Minister agree that there is widespread misunderstanding throughout the whole of the United States and not merely on the west coast, of the present state of affairs in Northern Ireland? While we cannot afford to have as many information officers as we did in the palmy days of long ago, could we not make a particular effort at the moment to send people over there with up-to-date information on what is in fact happening in the Province, so as to counter the propaganda of the IRA and in particular the monstrous raising of money publicly by IRA supporters for sending weapons into the Province, thus making the situation far worse?

Lord Skelmersdale

My Lords, the Information Services, the Government here and Members of Parliament on exchange visits and so on are doing everything they possibly can to make absolutely clear to responsible opinion in the press and in the United States exactly what is the position.

Lord Leatherland

My Lords, can the noble Lord say whether the number of people that he mentioned as being engaged in this Information Service consist entirely of information officers, or does the number also include typewriting maidens and other subordinates?

Lord Skelmersdale

My Lords, I am afraid that I shall have to write to the noble Lord on that because I do not have the detailed breakdown with me.

Lord Auckland

My Lords, is my noble friend aware that, with the increasing amount of trade, particularly in San Francisco and Los Angeles, and of tourism, representation by one information officer in San Francisco and two in Los Angeles is completely disproportionate compared with the representation elsewhere in America? Will he review the situation?

Lord Skelmersdale

My Lords, earlier I mentioned that we were in the middle of a triennial review and obviously this is one of the matters at which we shall look.