§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British embassies have a scientist in post; and which embassies do not.
§ Mr. HurdOf the 124 British embassies and high commissions around the world, there are seven with one or more officers on their staff whose titles refer specifically to responsibility for scientific affairs. This latter total does not include officers at specialist missions—for example, the United Kingdom mission to the International Atomic Energy Agency—nor those who have some responsibility for reporting on scientific subjects but whose titles do not specifically refer to science. There are also a good many diplomats serving in British embassies who have scientific qualifications, but whose present functions are not specifically related to science.
§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals he has to instruct British embassies to press the advantages of British information technology and to follow up inquiries about British firms and products.
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§ Mr. RifkindWorking closely with the British Overseas Trade Board—BOTB—and the British Information Technology Export Organisation, diplomatic service posts are already under instruction to press the advantages of British information technology. Commercial officers serving in priority export markets are given specialised training in this field and posts are kept aware of developments and opportunities.
Inquiries about British firms and products are processed in the usual way through the BOTB.