Ambassadorial Appointments (Hansard, 11 October 2004)

§ The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean)
My Lords, we believe that prescribed tour lengths for ambassadorial appointments are in the best interests of the taxpayer and of Her Majesty's Government. As a general rule, head of mission appointments are for a maximum of four years. However, where it is in Her Majesty's Government's wider interests or there are compelling operational considerations, we can, and do, extend some individual appointments.

§ Lord Janner of Braunstone
My Lords, I thank my noble friend for that Answer and I would be grateful if she would convey to the heads of mission the appreciation of myself and others when visiting their areas for the hospitality, courtesy and help that we are given. However, is not the whole system now ready to be looked at again? Too often it takes ambassadors and staff time to perfect the language, understand the people and get to know the country. The moment they have done all that, they are moved on. Postings last for four years or, at times, three years, and occasionally for longer. However, the system means that our people are not encouraged to do their jobs in the way they should because they are moved on as soon as they know how to do them. This is especially important at a time when, unfortunately, very serious cutbacks are being made in staffing levels.

§ Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean
My Lords, I am grateful to my noble friend for his kind remarks about our heads of mission and I shall certainly pass them on to our ambassadors and high commissioners. I, too, commend the sheer professionalism of our diplomats in the Foreign Office. Experience over many years has shown that four years as the optimal period for senior appointments is about right. The fact is that, on arrival, most heads of mission have long experience which enables them to operate effectively after a short period. Many have already established the language and are effective in it from day one. Moreover, many will have already served in the country or area before they are posted as ambassadors or high commissioners.
Diplomatic staff need to come back to the United Kingdom regularly in order to keep up to speed with British social and political changes. So, while the system is not inflexible and rigid, on the whole the Foreign Office believes that the period is about right.

§ Lord McNally
My Lords, does the Minister recall Lord Palmerston's concern that an ambassador sent to represent Her Majesty's Government in country X soon started representing country X to Her Majesty's Government? Does she not think that Lord Palmerston probably got it about right, as has the Foreign Office today?

§ Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean
My Lords, if the noble Lord, Lord McNally, is asking me to acknowledge that diplomacy is a two-way street, then I do so. It is important that we have the views of ambassadors and heads of mission about what is going on in the countries in which they are posted, and that 5 we are given authentic accounts of their conversations and background briefings. I acknowledge that it is right for us to be given the message back, but of course their primary task is to represent the interests of the United Kingdom in the countries in which they serve.

§ Lord Hannay of Chiswick
My Lords, does the noble Baroness agree that the presumption seemingly established by this rule that a period of four years is about the maximum that one should stay in a country is unwise for the reasons outlined by the noble Lord, Lord Janner? Moreover, is it not a little bizarre that someone in whom the Foreign Secretary has complete confidence is expected to resign after four years and apply for the post again? It would work perfectly well if the Foreign Secretary could simply say that there was no need for the matter to be raised.

§ Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean
My Lords, I hesitate to argue with the noble Lord, Lord Hannay of Chiswick, who of course has personal experience as a result of his service in the Foreign Office. However, I would say that successive Permanent Secretaries in the Foreign Office—I have served with three different Permanent Secretaries—agree on the whole that the idea of a maximum period of around four years is probably right. It is important to acknowledge that this is not quite as rigid as the terms of the Question tabled by my noble friend Lord Janner imply. After all, Sir Jeremy Greenstock served at the United Nations for longer than four years; Sir Christopher Meyer for longer than four years in Washington, and Sir Paul Lever for longer than four years in Bonn and Berlin. It is not a hard and fast rule; rather, it is a guiding principle.

§ Lord Howell of Guildford
My Lords, does the Minister agree that, contrary to many so-called expert predictions, the job of ambassador in the information age has become very much more important rather than, as some have suggested, less important? Does she further agree that, with the need for more local accurate information from different countries in this age of terror, and given that British citizens make 60 million trips abroad each year—putting a huge burden on both embassies and consulates—along with the increased security risk for diplomats, it is vitally important to ensure that the best ambassadors are kept in the right posts for a sensible length of time and that appointments are made and maintained with maximum flexibility?

§ Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean
My Lords, of course I can agree with much of that. It is important to have the right person in the right job at the right time. Appointments have to reflect the particular skills, competences and experience of the officer concerned. I further agree that the job of an ambassador has changed even over the period during which I have been a Minister. There is now much more emphasis on the commercial role of our ambassadors abroad. The noble Lord, Lord Howell, is also right to point to the growing issues surrounding terrorism. Moreover, today we hear much more of our ambassadors on the 6 media than was the case some years ago. I welcome that, but it must be acknowledged that their skills have to be very varied.