§ Lord Marlesfordasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will explain the leak of Foreign and Commonwealth Office plans to close certain diplomatic missions abroad, as published in the press on 23 October. [HL3734]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean)The document described in media reports on 23 October was a working level options paper, with no formal status, on which no decisions have yet been taken. Human error led to its reaching the media: there was no intention on anyone's part to publish it in advance of any formal decisions.
§ Lord Marlesfordasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will indicate the annual cost of public funds of each of the diplomatic missions listed in The Times on 23 October as being under consideration by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for closure. [HL3735]
211WA
§ Baroness Symons of Vernham DeanThe 1997–98 figures for the total cost to public funds of the posts listed inThe Times on 23 October are:
£ Aden 58,000 Casablanca 954,500 Chiang Mai 114,600 Cleveland 422,200 Kuching 85,500 Port Moresby 804,700 Pusan Not Available Seville 201,800 Adelaide 81,900 Alexandria 526,600 Brisbane 713,500 Florence 339,700 Kingstown 229,900 Lyons 776,900 Managua 528,800 St. George's 239,900 Tegucigalpa 431,600 Bonn 8,309,600 Monterrey Not Available Naples 1,053,000 Nuku'alofa 288,100 Ulaanbaatar 702,000 Victoria 803,700 Vila 512,000 Antananarivo 500,900 Castries 259,800 Honiara 387,200 Minsk 735,600 Nassau 985,600 San Salvador 582,300 These figures do not represent the potential saving to the FCO of closing these posts, as some of the tasks they currently perform would have to be carried out by neighbouring posts, which would then incur additional costs. Most of the costs attributable to Bonn will be transferred to Berlin when the Embassy is relocated there in 1999–2000.