High Commission and Embassy Offices

HC Deb 08 November 2001 vol 374 cc334-5W

Mr. Cox

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the total cost was of running(a) British high commission offices and (b) British embassy offices in each of the last three years. [12083]

Mr. MacShane

The total costs of running British high commissions and embassies for the years in question are as follows:

£ million
	(a) British high commissions	(b) British embassies
1998–99	148.35	510.99
1999–2000	113.50	442.74
2000–01	127.01	479.40

The apparent fall in costs between the first and second years is due to the switch from cash accounting to resource accounting.