§ Dr. CableTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the names of staff who have been seconded to his Department from the private sector since May 1997, indicating(a) the names of the organisation from which each has come, (b) their responsibilities and Civil Service grades within his Department, (c) the organisation responsible for paying their salary and (d) the start and end dates of their secondment. [35837]
§ Mr. MacShane[holding answer 12 February 2002]: We cannot divulge the exact details requested by the hon. Member without the permission of the seconding organisations. Exemption 13 of the Code of Practice to Government Information applies.
However, since May 1997 there have been 63 members of the private sector seconded into the FCO, 46 of whom did so under the Short-Term Business Attachment Scheme (STBAS). These secondees have all been appointed into middle management range posts (i. e. DS5, D6, C4). As for most forms of interchange, departments have borne their own staff's salary costs. The duration of each of these appointments has varied, from six months to four years (with the exception of STBAS which have varied from 3-12 months). The figures can be further broken down as follows:
Staff seconded to the FCO from the private sector: April 1997–1998 17 April 1998–1999 12 April 1999–2000 17 April 2000–2001 7 April 2001—to date 10 As part of a wider Government initiative that promotes and encourages the exchange of people and good practice between the Public and Private sectors, British Trade International actively seeks interchange partners. Interchange is very flexible, offering a range of activities that allow people from different organisations to share good practice, ideas and experience. There are real personnel development benefits as well as a strong business case for this type of activity. Before an interchange can occur all parties must be satisfied that no conflict of interest arises.