§ Sir Sinclairasked the Minister of Overseas Development how many officers on the strength of her Department are now serving overseas on the staffs of ambassadors and high commissioners to help with the co-ordination of the aid effort; and how many of these have served in Her Majesty's Colonial Service.
§ Mrs. CastleThere are at present eight officers seconded from my Department for duty in British High Commissions and Embassies, to help co-ordinate our overseas aid effort. One of these is an ex-H.M.O.C.S. officer. As I said in my reply to the hon. Member on the 17th May, a considerable number of officers in the Diplomatic Service have a background of experience in Her Majesty's Overseas Civil Service; some of these are dealing with aid matters in our posts overseas.