§ Mr. VazTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement concerning his Department's policies to encourage the appointment of more women to senior diplomatic posts.
§ Mr. MaudeThe FCO makes all appointments on the basis of merit. The FCO is fully committed to being an equal opportunities employer.
§ Mr. VazTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Leicester, East of 12 January,Official Report, column 794, where the five women ambassadors and high commissioners are posted; and how long they have been in post.
§ Mr. MaudeFour women are currently serving as ambassadors to Ivory Coast (June 1987), Luxembourg (February 1988), Mozambique (September 1989) and Chad (non-Resident, September 1989). A fifth woman is the leader of the United Kingdom delegation to the conference in Geneva and has been in post since October 1987.