CONCLUSION
212. In our Report, we have tackled a wide range
of very important issues. We have examined the impact of the latest
Spending Review for the Foreign Office and its personnel. We have
reported on the FCO's new UK International Priorities strategy
paper, and the likely consequences for the Office's work at home
and abroad. We have considered the changes that the horrific attack
on the Istanbul Consulate-General will bring to the way the FCO
and its agencies operate. The visa entry clearance regime and
the work of the BBC World Service and British Council have also
been scrutinised in some detail.
213. As we said right at the beginning of this Report,
we believe strongly that our scrutiny, on behalf of Parliament
and the wider electorate, contributes greatly both to the work
and the democratic accountability of the Foreign Office. We believe
that this is a positive process, helping to open up the often
shadowy world of Whitehall and explain its workings to the lay
person, and highlighting to the FCO areas of public concern and
interest. We are proud to continue the tradition of scrutiny that
was initiated by our predecessors, and look forward to the Committee
engaging in a continuing dialogue with the Office in the future.
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