The Earl of Carlisleasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the cost per annum of maintaining a diplomatic presence in: (a) Estonia; (b) Latvia; (c) Lithuania; and (d) the Russian Federation; and whether they consider that the British taxpayer gets value for money.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean)The most comprehensive data available relates to financial year 1995–96 and shows the 203WA following annual cost of maintaining diplomatic missions in the countries you refer to:
Estonia £335,200 Latvia £493,581 Lithuania £261,580 Russian Federation: (comprising Moscow, St. Petersburg and Ekaterinburg) £9,281,293 The operations of all of our missions overseas are subject to regular and careful scrutiny to ensure that they provide an efficient and cost effective service. We are satisfied that the missions referred to above provide good value for money to the taxpayer.