§ Mr. ConnartyTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department plans to outsource call centre work to premises outside the United Kingdom. [132103]
§ Mr. RammellThe Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is currently managing a project to secure a private sector strategic partner to assist in the development and support of the next generation of its Firecrest IT infrastructure. The future management of the internal help desk will be part of discussions with the private sector, when this partner is appointed, probably next year. But there are no plans to place this work outside the UK.
The FCO uses the MM call centre based in Bristol to provide travel advice. There are no plans to change this service.