§ Mr. Arnoldasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 9 March, Official Report, c. 435–6, concerning transfers of staff from the home Civil Service to the Diplomatic Service posts, in which grades in the Diplomatic Service he considers it necessary to fill from within the Diplomatic Service on all occasions; and how many posts this represents.
§ Mr. RifkindThe grades in the Diplomatic Service which it is normally necessary to fill from within the Diplomatic Service on all occasions are the senior grades—heads of mission and Ministers overseas and officers of the under-secretary rank at home—certain counsellor posts—heads of smaller missions overseas and heads of Department at home—and the majority of posts in the training and recruitment grades. These together represent about 450 posts out of the total of 2,432 posts at third secretary level and above.
§ Mr. Arnoldasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Hazel Grove on 9 March, Official Report, c. 435–6, if he will break the figures down of transfers of posts from the home Civil Service to the Diplomatic Service to indicate how many such staff were transferred in each year.
§ Mr. RifkindThe number of secondments which have taken place from the home Civil Service to the Diplomatic Service in each year since May 1979 is as follows:
Year Number of Secondments to the Diplomatic Service 1979 (May-December) 39 1980 38 1981 44 1982 46 167
§ Mr. Arnoldasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to increase the numbers of exchanges between industry and commerce and commercial and economic posts in the Diplomatic Service.
§ Mr. RifkindThe number of these exchanges has increased over the past year, during which there have been162W five new secondments from the Diplomatic Service to industry and commerce and one new secondment from industry to the Diplomatic Service. As stated in the answer which my right hon. Friend gave to my hon. Friend on 9 March—[Vol. 38, c. 436]—we have plans for further secondments in both directions.
§ Mr. Arnoldasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will set out the respective responsibilities of a first secretary (economic) and a first secretary (commercial) in the Diplomatic Service.
§ Mr. RifkindThe task of a first secretary (economic) is the reporting and analysis of economic, financial and trade policy issues, as well as making representations for Her Majesty's Government's views on such matters. A first secretary (commercial) is concerned with the promotion of United Kingdom exports, the provision of advice to business men, and the stimulation of inward investment in the United Kingdom. In practice, the two areas of responsibility frequently overlap. In many posts, first secretaries (commercial) also cover economic reporting; in others, first secretaries (economic) work part-time on trade promotion.