§ Mr. AncramTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what have been the costs of operations undertaken by his Department in connection with events following the 11 September terrorist attacks on the United States; and if these costs will be met from his Department's budget. [16563]
§ Mr. BradshawSince the events of 11 September, the FCO has had to react immediately to sizeable changes in the global environment. This has had a significant effect on the FCO's budget, forcing us to re-prioritise. We have incurred extra expenditure on: vital physical security for our overseas missions and the staff working in them; evacuating British citizens at risk from increased tension and violence in Pakistan; dealing with British victims of the destruction of the World Trade Centre and assisting their families; the considerable diplomatic effort to seek out and bring those responsible to justice, and to build on international coalition against terrorism; and a rapid increase in BBC World Service broadcasting in local languages in and around Afghanistan.
Current estimates put the additional cost of the crisis to the FCO this financial year around £40 million. Fee income from visas and passports may well suffer with the downturn in international travel. The last spending review significantly increased the resources of the FCO for this financial year. We are seeking to absorb as much as possible of the new requirements through re-prioritisation as well as efficiency measure. We are in discussion with the Treasury to address the shortfall in resources the FCO faces.