§ Mr. Meacherasked the Lord Privy Seal what are the functions of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office information department; and how many people it employs.
§ Mr. BlakerInformation Department directs the Government's official information effort overseas—including the overseas services of the Central Office of Information—has financial responsibility for the overseas information programme and maintains liaison with the BBC External Services and the British Overseas Trade Board. It also supervises sponsored visits to the United Kingdom, in co-operation with the Central Office of Information, and the work of the Wiston House conference centre. The Department provides regular guidance and background briefing to Her Majesty's Missions abroad on matters of general concern affecting Government policies.
The Department has 79 members.
§ Mr. Meacherasked the Lord Privy Seal how many of the current staff of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office information department previously worked for the information research department.
§ Mr. BlakerA total of 29 members of the present information department have served in the former information research department at some stage in their careers.
§ Mr. Meacherasked the Lord Privy Seal if he will list all documents distributed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office information department over the last 12 months.
§ Mr. BlakerApart from a wide range of material prepared for our posts abroad for general briefing purposes, the following 67 background briefs were issued in 1980:
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- Refugees from Indochina (revised)
- The Bahais
- Middle East Peace Moves: A Chronology (May-December 1979)
- Soviet Foreign Trade in 1978–79
- Third World Media Problems
- Afghanistan
- Afghanistan: Response to Soviet Intervention
- Soviet Campaign against TNF Modernisation
- World Grain Supplies
- Afghanistan: Soviet Occupation
- Namibia (South West Africa) Independence Proposals Chronology: May 1979-February 1980
- Prospects for the Non-Aligned Movement
- Aid to the Developing World
- Chinese Aid to Africa
- "Invisibles" and the Balance of Payments
- Afghanistan: Further Responses to Soviet Intervention
- The Moscow Olympics 1980
- British Initiatives for a Rhodesian Settlement, Transition to Independence, Chronology: December 1979-April 1980
- Soviet Network of Friendship Treaties
- Cubans Vote with their Feet
- Islam in the Soviet Union
- Afghanistan—Tradition of Neutrality
- Afghanistan Report (No. 1/5): Student demonstrations; The flag as symbol; Resistance activity; Afghanistan and the Olympics
- Chronology of the Principal Events in Iran following Shah Reza Pahlavi's Departure on 16 January 1979—and Ayatollah Khomeini's Subsequent Return from Exile (1 February 1979–5 May 1980)
- Afghanistan and the 'Brezhnev Doctrine'
- East German Activities in Africa
- Afghanistan Report (No. 1/6): The Islamic Conference, Continuing resistance; Soviet casualties; Explanations for the invasion
- An A(Afghanistan) to Z(Zimbabwe) of Imperialism
- Sport in the Soviet Union
- The Moscow Olympic Games (Revised)
- Afghanistan Report (No. 1/7): Islamic Conference Follow-Up Committee; Limited Soviet Troop Withdrawal; Resistance and Disruption; Refugees
- Afghanistan Report (No. 2/7): Refugees; Prisoners; Kabul; Factionalism and Purges
- Communist Peace Offensive
- Belize: The Need for Independence (revision)
- Ethiopia: Problems for the USSR
- United Kingdom Energy Situation
- Afghanistan Report (No. 1/8): Afghan forces; Soviet forces: The fighting; Soviet civilian presence
- Afghanistan: Opposition Groups
- Cuban Setbacks in the Non-Aligned Movement
- The Exodus from Communist Countries
- Namibia: Background to Independence Negotiations
- Middle East Peace Moves: A Chronology (January-August 1980)
- The Soviet Union (Visitor's Brief)
- The German Democratic Republic (Visitor's Brief)
- Afghanistan Report: Factionalism and purges; Threat of famine and disease
- Afghanistan: Chronology of Events Since April 1978
- Namibia (South West Africa) Independence Proposals Chronology: May 1979-September 1980
- Chad: 15 Years of Civil War
- PDRY (South Yemen): Soviet Client of the Arab World
- The Baltic States: 40 Years Under Soviet Rule
- Pressure on Hong Kong's Resources (revised)
- Life in Vietnam Today
- Soviet Bloc Network of Friendship Treaties
- Muslim Conference in Tashkent
- Afghanistan Report: The fighting; Refugees and defections; Recruiting problems
- Afghanistan: Further Responses to Soviet Intervention
- The Sovietisation of Afghanistan
- New GDR Currency Regulations
- Poland: The Workers and the Party; A Chronology: 1970–1980
- The Principal Events in Iran since the Islamic Revolution; Chronology: May-October 1980
- Iran's Relations with the USSR
- The Iran/Iraq Border
- Afghanistan Report: Invasion anniversary
- ASEAN and the Communist States
- Soviet External Propaganda
- Human Rights—the Soviet Record
- UNESCO and World Media Problems
§ Mr. Meacherasked the Lord Privy Seal to whom material produced by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office information department is distributed.
§ Mr. BlakerInformation department material is prepared primarily for the use of Her Majesty's Missions abroad. It includes background briefs, copies of which are placed with 11 libraries in the United Kingdom, including520W those in the Houses of Parliament. These briefs are passed to journalists and such other inquirers as express an interest in them.
§ Mr. Meacherasked the Lord Privy Seal what is the difference between the function of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office information department and that of the organisation once known as the information research department.
§ Mr. BlakerThe terms of reference of the information research department before the reorganisation of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office information departments in 1977 were
Responsibility for the compilation of information reports for Her Majesty's Missions abroad".The terms of reference of the present information department have already been summarised in answer to a previous question.