MEMORANDA SUBMITTED BY THE FOREIGN AND
COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
APPENDIX 1
Memorandum submitted by the Foreign and
Commonwealth Office responding to the Committee's follow-up questions
to its Report on the Annual Reports of the Foreign and Commonwealth
Office and British Trade International
Thank you for your letter of 16 November in
which you asked further questions following publication of the
Government's Response to the Committee's Report on the Annual
Reports of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and British Trade
International. Our replies are as follows:
Question 1: recommendation 1
We now have a new FCO Intranet, still (like
its predecessor) based on extranet technology, and accessible
to FCO staff through the Internet, carrying only unclassified
information. But we plan a classified global Intranet, once the
two main elements of our new global Information and Communications
Technology Infrastructure are in use. There are:
(a) Firecrest, The roll-out of our new Windows-based
office IT system has continued, now covering more than 1,750 users
in the UK, and 7,500 users in 218 overseas posts. Coming months
will see another 800 users in the UK, and the system upgraded
to run at Confidential level, and become, by April 2001, the single
main IT system across the FCO offices in London.
(b) FTN. On 10 May 2000 we signed a 10-year
PFI contract with Global Crossing to provide a Global FCO Telecommunications
Network. It is already in use in all Posts in North America (588
users), providing them with real-time communications with Whitehall,
as well as Internet browsing. Deployment in Posts in Western Europe
(1,555 users) should be completed during the first quarter of
2001. The first high capacity satellite connections into the network,
from four Posts (one in Africa, one in Scandinavia, and two in
the Middle East), should be in use before the end of the year.
Question 2: recommendation 15
See Restricted Annex A[2]
Question 3: recommendation 24
For commercial work, Heads of Mission agree
specific objectives with British Trade International, on which
they are assessed by its Group Chief Executive as part of the
annual appraisal exercise. BTI assessments are then passed to
FCO line-managers and incorporated in the overall appraisal marking
used for performance pay purposes: the FCO and British Trade International
agree on the importance of a single performance management chain.
Heads of subordinate posts overseas are appraised by their Heads
of Mission.
Question 4: recommendation 28
I enclose, at Annex A[3],
the full text of the agreed Memorandum of Understanding (and its
Annexes), which has been finalised by BTI, DTI and FCO, in fulfilment
of the Wilson report. The text, which has been noted by the BTI
Board, is currently being considered by HM Treasury and the National
Audit Office: a copy will in due course be placed in the Library
of the House.[4]
Induction Courses for new Members of Parliament
We are grateful for the Committee's suggestions
on the proposed induction course for new Members of Parliament,
and will take them into account in our planning for the course.
2 Not printed. Back
3
Not printed. Back
4
Not printed. Back
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