§ Mr. BettsTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the number of civil servants in his Department who could be relocated to provincial centres as part of the policy of devolving and decentralising Government Departments.
§ Mr. GoodladAn internal investigation in 1988 into the viability of relocating parts of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office diplomatic wing outside central London considered a number of relocation sites, including Glasgow and Cardiff. Hanslope Park, an estate near Milton Keynes owned by the FCO, was chosen for the 245 posts then identified for possible relocation. The number of posts has since fallen to 166 because of the subsequent abolition of some posts and reorganisation of FCO departments. This relocation programme is well advanced and is due to be completed by mid-1994.