HC Deb 07 February 1996 vol 271 cc239-41W
Mr. Harry Greenway

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what additional staff and at what cost his Department has recruited to meet Her Majesty's Government's diplomatic requirements against the proliferation of regimes throughout the world; and if he will make a statement. [12559]

Mr. Hanley

Since 1990, 22 new independent countries have come into being. The UK has diplomatic representation on the ground in all but three, and cross-accreditation of staff in neighbouring countries for the remainder. The total additional requirement of 77 UK-based and 156 locally engaged staff in these new countries has been resourced from within existing provision, through reprioritisation and redeployment. In the same period, eight posts with UK-based and two with locally engaged staff have been closed. Further information will be available in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's 1996 departmental report, due to be published in March, a copy of which will be placed in the Library of the House.

Mr. Cohen

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what criteria govern the assessment of the effect of diplomats' declared interests on their representation of the United Kingdom. [12640]

Mr. Hanley

Interests declared by members of the diplomatic service are assessed against the need to ensure that officials neither subordinate their official duty to their private interests nor put themselves in a position where their duty and private interests conflict.

Mr. Parry

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in which countries Her Majesty's Government have no diplomatic post; and if he will make a statement. [13619]

Mr. Hanley

There is no UK resident diplomatic representation in the following 18 countries:

  • Andorra
  • Bhutan
  • Burundi
  • Equatorial Guinea
  • Iraq
  • Kiribati
  • North Korea
  • Liberia
  • Maldives
  • Marshall Islands
  • Micronesia
  • Moldova
  • Nauru
  • St. Kitts and Nevis
  • San Marino
  • Somalia
  • Tajikistan
  • Tuvalu

In the following independent countries, the UK is represented by locally engaged staff and/or honorary consuls:

  • Afghanistan
  • Benin
  • Burkina Fasso
  • Cape Verde
  • Central African Republic
  • Chad
  • Comoros
  • Congo
  • Djibouti
  • Dominica
  • Eritrea
  • Gabon
    • 241
  • Guinea
  • Guinea Bissau
  • Haiti
  • Kyrgyzstan
  • Laos
  • Liechtenstein
  • Mali
  • Mauritania
  • Monaco
  • Niger
  • Suriname
  • Togo
  • Western Samoa
  • Sao Tomé and Principe

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