Letter to the Clerk of the Committee from
the Parliamentary Relations and Devolution Department, Foreign
and Commonwealth Office, 9 September 2004
Thank you for your letter of 7 September.
The assertion in The Times article dated
17 August that FCO staffing levels will be reduced to allow increased
spending on the Presidencies is incorrect as it erroneously links
two separate issues.
The plan to reduce SMS numbers is part of the
FCO's Efficiency Programme developed during the Gershon Review
that has affected all Government Departments. They are part of
a broader drive designed to reduce the FCO's running costs. As
part of this Review, we have invited staff to bid for early retirement
on the basis of terms available under the Civil Service Pensions
Scheme (this is not therefore a voluntary redundancy scheme as
you suggest). We envisage a take-up of perhaps 60-80 individuals
but decisions on precise numbers, or the implications for particular
jobs to be cut, have yet to be taken. Once reductions have been
made, there will be a continuing saving to the FCO paybill. We
should note that these position cuts take place against a background
where overall employment in the FCO has risen by some 550 over
the last 4 years.
The FCO has set aside the sum of £4.05
million from within its current provision to fund Presidency activity
during 2004-05. Of this sum, £2.403 million is for the EU
Presidency with the balance of £1.65m earmarked for the G8.
A final decision on the level of Presidency funding required during
2005-06 has yet to be taken.
Matthew Hamlyn
Parliamentary Relations and Devolution Department
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
9 September 2004
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