§ Mr. Hurdasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many officials are now employed at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London; and how this figure compares with those for 1960 and 1970, respectively.
§ Mr. Rowlands3,119 staff are employed at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London compared with 2,960 in October 1970. There have been some organisational changes between these two dates, and on a strictly comparable count the number of staff shows a net reduction852W since 1970 of 110. Precise figures are not readily available for 1960 in respect of the separate organisations which merged to form the Diplomatic Service on 1st January 1965.
§ Mr. John Garrettasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether there is any limitation on the promotion to Grade 4 and above of officials of his department who entered it at the executive and clerical levels.
§ Mr. RowlandsNo. The overriding consideration covering all promotions is the efficiency of the public service. Officers are promoted to vacancies in Grade 4 and above on the basis of their qualifications for the job concerned.
§ Mr. John Garrettasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many officials of his Department at Grade 3 (Under-Secretary) entered the Department at executive or clerical level.
§ Mr. RowlandsSix officers at present in Grade 3 entered this Department, or departments that have since merged to form the Diplomatic Service, in the executive or clerical grades.
§ Mr. John Garrettasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many officials of his Department at Grade 4 (Assistant Secretary) entered the Department at executive or clerical level.
§ Mr. RowlandsSeventy-six officers at present in Grade 4 entered this Department, or departments that have since merged to form the Diplomatic Service, in the executive or clerical grades.