Letter to the Chairman from the Secretary
of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
I am writing to you as Chair of the Foreign
Affairs Committee to alert you to a written Statement I will be
publishing tomorrow setting out my plans for changes to the network
of overseas post. I attach a copy.
I am also copying this to The Speaker.
Jack Straw MP
Foreign Secretary
10 October 2005
Written Statement, Official
Report, 11 October 2005[7]
Overseas Network
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth
Affairs (Jack Straw): In December 2003, I set out the Government's
international priorities for the next five to 10 years and the
Foreign and Commonwealth Office's strategy for delivering them
in a world of new challenges, opportunities and threats.
On the basis of that strategy and the outcome
of the 2004 spending round I announced on 15 December 2004, Official
Report, columns 137-140WS, changes to the overseas network,
aimed at enhancing our effectiveness in representing British interests
abroad, and helping to deliver an efficient service on behalf
of the British taxpayer.
However, in the light of further reviews I have
agreed to make the following small adjustments to our plans:
One subordinate post, Hamburg, scheduled to
remain open with locally based staff, will now close and our interests
will be covered from Berlin. Two subordinate posts, Munich and
Miami, will now continue to be headed by a UK based member of
staff rather than covered entirely by locally engaged staff as
originally proposed. Other changes will go ahead before end 2006,
as previously announced.
The overall picture on implementation of the
changes announced in December is as follows:
| Post | Planned change
| State of Play |
| ASIA PACIFIC | |
|
| Port Vila (Vanuatu) | Close
| To be closed by end 2006 |
| Nuku'alofa (Tonga) | Close |
To be closed by end 2006 |
| Dili (East Timor) | Close |
To be closed by end 2006 |
| Tarawa (Kiribati) (currently a locally staffed post)
| Close | Closed |
| AMERICAS | |
|
| Asuncion (Paraguay) | Close
| Closed |
| Nassau (Bahamas) | Close |
Closed |
| AFRICA | |
|
| Maseru (Lesotho) | Close |
Closed |
| Mbabane (Swaziland) | Close
| Closed |
| Antananarivo (Madagascar) | Close
| Closed |
| AUSTRALIA | |
|
| Brisbane | Localise | To be localised by end 2006
|
| Perth | Localise | To be localised by end 2006
|
| NEW ZEALAND | |
|
| Auckland | Localise | Localised
|
| JAPAN | |
|
| Fukuoka | Close | Closed
|
| LAOS | | |
| Vientiane (Laos) (Trade Office) | Close
| Closed |
| UNITED STATES | |
|
| Seattle | Localise | Localised
|
| Miami | Localise | To remain UK based
|
| Phoenix | Close | Closed
|
| Dallas | Close | Closed
|
| San Juan (Puerto Rico) | Close
| Closed |
| FRANCE | |
|
| Bordeaux | Localise | To be localised by end 2006
|
| Lyon | Localise | To be localised by end 2006
|
| GERMANY | |
|
| Munich | Localise | To remain UK based
|
| Hamburg | Localise | To close by end 2006
|
| Frankfurt | Close | To close by end 2006
|
| Leipzig | Close | Closed
|
| Stuttgart | Close | To close by end 2006
|
| SPAIN | |
|
| Palma | Localise | To be localised by end 2006
|
| Bilbao | Localise | Localised
|
| PORTUGAL | |
|
| Oporto | Close | Closed
|
| CAMEROON | |
|
| Douala | Close | Closed
|
| | |
In addition, I have agreed the following further changes
to the network:
In Brazil, following a review of our commercial effort there,
I have agreed that our Trade Offices in Belo Horizonte and Curitiba
should be closed, but the existing Honorary Consuls will remain.
Commercial services currently provided in Belo Horizonte and Curitiba
will in future be delivered through our other posts in Brazil.
In India we plan to upgrade our Business Information Centres in
Pune and Chandigarh to British Trade Offices and cease to operate
a Business Information Centre in Bhopal.
The full details of these additional changes are as follows:
| Post | Planned change
|
| Trade Office, Curitiba, Brazil | Close. Honorary Consul to remain. Trade interests covered from other Posts in Brazil (Brasilia, Sao Paulo or Rio de Janeiro).
|
| Trade Office, Belo Horizonte, Brazil | Close. Honorary Consul to remain. Trade interests covered from other Posts in Brazil (Brasilia, Sao Paulo or Rio de Janeiro).
|
| Business Information Centre, Bhopal, India |
Close. British Council Library to remain. Trade interests covered from Mumbai.
|
| Business Information Centre, Pune | Upgrade to full Trade Office.
|
| Business Information Centre, Chandigarh |
Upgrade to full Trade Office. |
| |
We have no other plans to close or open any further sovereign
posts but like any well-run organisation we will continue to move
resources flexibly as priorities require in line with UK interests.
I will inform the House of any further planned changes.
7
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