§ Lord Holme of Cheltenhamasked Her Majesty's Government:
What was the cost of establishing the new British embassies in (a) Lithuania and (b) Latvia and what is the budget for maintaining these embassies in their first three years.
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (The Earl of Caithness)The estimated cost for the six months of this financial year in which these embassies will have been open is around £100,000 for the embassy in Lithuania and £170,000 for Latvia. Costs in 1992–93 are expected to be roughly double this.
The staffing of these embassies remains subject to review, and therefore costs (including capital costs for accommodation and equipment) may change considerably.