§ Mr. BerryTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what arrangements there are for housing the commercial section of the British Embassy in Riga; how many staff are employed by the commercial section, broken down by(a) UK-based and (b) locally-employed staff; how much space the section occupies; and what plans he has to rehouse the section in preparation for the British Week to be held in Riga in 2001. [127858]
§ Mr. VazThe Commercial section in Riga is in the main Embassy building. The Embassy is currently undergoing refurbishment and reorganisation, which will improve the quality of Commercial Section accommodation and make it more accessible to visitors.
536WThere are four full-time commercial staff in Riga: one UK-based and three locally engaged.
The Commercial Section occupies approximately 52m2. An additional 28m2 is available on the lower ground floor.
There are no plans to rehouse the Section in preparation for British Week in 2001: we do not regard this as necessary.