HC Deb 09 March 1965 vol 708 cc68-9W
Mr. Barnett

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what additional work has been undertaken by embassy staffs since 16th October, 1964, to assist British firms who might wish to enter the export field or to increase existing exports.

Mr. George Thomson

The general pattern of trade promotion work in Her Majesty's Embassies has not changed since 16th October, 1964. But the Government's measures to increase exports, and notably those announced by my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade on 27th January, will naturally result in an increased volume of work for the staff of our posts in foreign countries. We hope this will become yet greater as a result of the publicity campaign which it is planned to open shortly to make the official services better known to exporters.

The then Foreign Secretary wrote to all Heads of Diplomatic Missions in foreign countries on 30th December, telling them that he attached the highest importance to commercial work and that the Government had fully accepted the recommendation of the Plowden Committee on Representational Services Overseas that economic and commercial work should be regarded as a first charge on the resources of the Diplomatic Service".

The shortage of manpower in the Diplomatic Service means that there is little scope at present for further increases in the numbers of home-based staff engaged on commercial work. But we are giving priority to requests from Her Majesty's Missions for authority to engage additional local staff for commercial work. In addition, measures have been taken to improve the status of locally-engaged commercial staff.

Year ended 31st March … 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964
(a) … … … … £169,000 £232,000 £268,000 £317,000 £365,000
(b) … … … … 3,269 4,309 4,859 5,380 6,135
(c) … … … … — 1,341 2,294 3,688 4,430
(d) … … … … 4,145 6,497 7,904 7,546 8,008

The cost of the legal aid and advice scheme will be considerably increased this year and in the future by the introduction in October, 1964, of legal aid in criminal cases; and I have no reason to expect that the use of the scheme in civil matters has reached its peak.