HC Deb 18 June 1992 vol 209 cc670-1W
Mr. Tony Banks

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of staff of the Defence Export Services Organisation are seconded from industry; and what functions they perform.

Mr. Aitken

The Head of the Defence Export Services Organisation (HDES) and the international finance adviser (IFA) are both seconded from industry. The IFA advises HDES and United Kingdom companies on the financing and credit insurance facilities available to support overseas defence sales.

Mr. Tony Banks

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff are employed in each of the overseas offices of the Defence Export Services Organisation and, in each case, what is the estimated annual cost of the office; and how many are employed in the London office.

Mr. Aitken

The following is a breakdown of the Defence Export Services Organisation overseas offices, the numbers of staff employed in each office and the estimated annual cost of each office:

1992–93
Office Staff numbers Estimated costs £
New Delhi 3 91,200
Riyadh 2 86,900
Kuala Lumpur 7 128,500
Seoul 3 109,600
Ankara 1 47,100
Kuwait 1 65,400
Canberra 2 70,700
Jakarta 3 75,800
Bangkok 2 68,800

The Defence staff in Washington (1992–93 cost estimate £600,000) are no longer included in the Defence Export Services Organisation budget.

There are 246 staff employed in the London office.