§ Mr. Butcherasked the Lord Privy Seal, excluding embassies and consulates, what is the current number of employees in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office compared with May 1979, 1974 and 1964.
§ Mr. HurdFigures for the total authorised provision for staff serving at home are:
1979–80 3,102 1974–75 3,210 1964–65 3,488(including staff in the Colonial Office and Common-wealth Relations Office) The actual number of staff in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 1 January 1980 was 2,903.
In addition, comparable figures for staff in the Passport Office and Communications Division are:
Passport Office Communications Division at home and overseas 1979–80 945 1,196 1974–75 826 1,300 1964–65 592 1,138 Actual numbers at 1 January 1980 were 906 for the Passport Office and 1,090 for Communications Division.