§ Mrs. GillanTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has investigated the delay in providing Mr. Penfold with secure communications equipment after his move to Conakry; and what factors underlay the delay. [71815]
§ Mr. FatchettMr. Penfold arrived in Conakry on 5 June 1997. He discussed his communications needs with the FCO on 11 June. Equipment enabling him to send and receive material marked "restricted" was sent to Conakry on 26 June 1997, arriving on 7 July. For security reasons, the equipment needed to be housed in a protective steel cabinet. The slight delay arose from the need to assemble the various components (some of which had been returned for repair from other posts) and test them before dispatch.
Mr. Penfold has said that staff in Conakry at that time, after consulting him decided not to use the equipment as it was too large for the hotel room. Mr. Penfold and his staff continued to use the commercial facilities available in the hotel.