HC Deb 28 July 1981 vol 9 cc418-9W
Sir John Biggs-Davison

asked the Lord Privy Seal what is the present strength of information personnel at Her Majesty's embassy in Washington and in consular and other posts in the United States of America; and to what extent such personnel are engaged in presenting the facts about the hunger strike in Her Majesty's prison, Maze and the case for the continuance of Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom.

Mr. Ridley

The total staff in the United States of America devoted exclusively to information work is currently 61. These consist of two United Kingdom-based officers in Washington and three in New York, supported by 56 locally engaged staff deployed as follows:

number
Washington 6
New York 41
Atlanta 1
Boston 1
Chicago 2
number
Houston 2
Los Angeles 2
San Francisco 1

Of the total, 26 are information officers and 35 are support staff. The projection of Her Majesty's Government's Northern Ireland policy has a very high priority in their work.