§ Ms. QuinTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will supply figures for spending by his Department on export services, in constant prices, for each year since 1979.
§ Mr. Maude[holding answer 22 January 1990]: Spending on export services is not identified separately in statistics on resources devoted by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to commercial work overseas. Generally, about 90 per cent. of commercial work is in support of British exports. Since 1984–85, the following amounts, excluding London overheads, have been devoted to commercial work overseas (at 1984–85 constant prices):
96W
£ million 1984–85 56.9 1985–86 54.8 1986–87 54.8 1987–88 52.8 1988–89 49.0 No comparable figures are available for the years before 1984–85.
The decline in spending in real terms during this period paralleled a similar decline in the FCO's overall overseas spending, but higher productivity in both responsive and initiative work led to increased output from fewer staff. For example, between 1983 and 1989, posts overseas reported a 14 per cent. increase in export intelligence notifications and a 60 per cent. increase in the number of market inquiries.