HC Deb 24 May 2000 vol 350 cc500-1W
Mr. Don Foster

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff from his Department were seconded to private sector companies in (a) May 1997 to April 1998, (b) May 1998 to April 1999 and (c) May 1999 to April 2000; and if he will list in each case the companies to which staff were sent, the names and ranks of the staff involved and the duration of the secondment. [123425]

Mr. Battle

There were(a) 19 staff seconded to the private sector between May 1997 and April 1998, (b) 26 between May 1998 and April 1999 and (c) 27 between May 1999 and April 2000. The organisations involved were China Britain Business Council, Rolls-Royce, British Aerospace, International Committee of the Red Cross, Unilever, Shell, Standard Chartered Bank, Glencree Centre, New Millennium Experience Company, London Chamber of Commerce, BOC, PrincewaterhouseCoopers, BP Amoco, British Invisibles, Institute of Exports, Prince's Trust, Halcrow, AMEC, CBI, Smithkline Beecham International, Open Broadcast Network, Andersen Consulting, Oldham Chamber of Commerce, ICL, London First Centre, Fidelity, Reading University and Lehman Brothers.

The terms of each secondment differ. The rank of the officers varied between junior and senior management. The duration of secondments varied from three to thirty eight months. Please see the table.

It is not normal practice to name civil servants.

Staff undertaking a private sector secondment
Rank Total number of officers Length of secondments varied between (months)
May 1997–April 1998
Junior management 4 11–24
Middle management 10 5–36
Senior management 5 5–38

1997–98 1998–99
Secondments of more than three months Secondments of less than three months Secondments of more than three months Secondments of less than three months
SCS1 0 32 0 41
SCS2 0 0 0 0
Grades 6, 7 and SEO1 1 0 0 0
Grades 6, 7 and SEO2 0 0 0 0
HEO and EO1 14 0 12 0
HEO and EO2 1 0 4 0
Below EO1 2 0 1 0
Below EO2 5 0 5 0
Total 523 2 522 1
1Male
2Female
3One to Shanks and McEwan Southern Waste Services Ltd. and one to the Halifax
4To Aon Risk Services Ltd.
5All to CSL Managed Services Ltd.

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