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20 Apr 2009 : Column 506W—continued
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has developed a range of initiatives launched at various levels of the organisation in order to recruit a more talented and diverse work force.
For example, since November 2006 we have implemented an undergraduate work experience programme designed to promote ethnic diversity and social inclusion, as well as taking part in Cabinet Office-led internships for students from ethnic minority backgrounds and for students with registered disabilities.
Since September 2007 we have opened up all of our Senior Management Structure jobs to candidates from across Whitehall.
In addition, in 2007 we organised an external recruitment campaign at Band D level, targeted at a diverse range of individuals from backgrounds outside of the FCO with the skills we require.
European Union
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff of EU institutions are posted to EU external representations. [263995]
Caroline Flint: We do not hold this information. The relevant data are owned by each EU Institution.
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what financial contribution the EU made to international organisations in which it has a role as (a) a participant and (b) an observer in the last 12 months. [263998]
Caroline Flint: The information required to answer this question is not held centrally, and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who the members of the EU Joint Advisory Committee for Professional Incompetence are. [264002]
Caroline Flint: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office do not hold this information. Under Article 9 of the Staff Regulations of Officials of the European Communities, each EU Institution can set up their own Joint Advisory Committee for Professional Incompetence, which are internal staff management bodies for those institutes. The relevant data are owned by each institution.
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what (a) cases and (b) subjects were considered by the EU Joint Advisory Committee for Professional Incompetence in 2008. [264003]
Caroline Flint: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office do not hold this information. The relevant data are owned by each EU Institution and they should be approached for this information.
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in which international institutions European Communities bodies are able to claim the alternative exercise of membership rights; and on how many occasions such bodies have exercised such rights in the last 12 months. [264004]
Caroline Flint: In the international bodies to which the European Community is a party—with or without the Member States, the extent to which the European Community exercises rights will be determined in accordance with the rules applicable to participation of a regional body in the international body concerned. It will also depend on any internal arrangements agreed between the European Community and the Member States relating to its participation in an international body.
We do not have information available on how many times the European Community may have exercised its membership right in international bodies within the last 12 months.
Exchange Rates
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how foreign exchange risk on his Department's foreign currency liabilities is managed; and if he will make a statement. [268081]
Gillian Merron: Two mechanisms are used to manage our foreign exchange risk:
The Overseas Pricing Mechanism (OPM) to support exchange rate pressures. Although HM Treasury withdrew support for the OPM we continue to operate the OPM internally to maintain the purchasing power of our overseas posts' local budgets.
For our significant exposure in US dollars and euros, and to a lesser extent Japanese yen, a forward purchase strategy contracted through the Bank of England. To date we have secured several contracts with the Bank of England. These provide the maximum cover allowed for
our forecast US dollar and euro net exposure up to February 2010, and partial cover over the intervening months to January 2011.
Foreign Policy
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department has taken to involve UK Muslims in discussions on British foreign policy. [267525]
Bill Rammell: Since March 2008 we have had an active programme of outreach to Muslim communities around the UK by Ministers and senior officials to engage on a range of foreign policy issues. Our outreach work to British Muslim communities is part of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s wider ‘Bringing Foreign Policy Home’ initiative—a series of regional visits by Ministers and officials which include broad-ranging discussions with the British public on key foreign policy issues with the aim of raising awareness of the impact of foreign policy on peoples’ lives.
Future Firecrest Programme
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when his Department first assessed the feasibility of the project which became the Future Firecrest programme; and if he will make a statement. [268875]
Caroline Flint: Preliminary work to establish the need and identify a procurement strategy started in early 2002.
The initial business case was considered by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Board in May 2002. Following this and a review, in August 2002, by the Office of Government Commerce, a detailed examination of our requirements and the potential procurement options resulted in the presentation of a fully elaborated set of options in March 2003. On the basis of this, the project board approved the further development of the business case, recommending the procurement of a private sector strategic partnership. This business case was approved by the FCO Board and Ministers in July 2003.
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the contract with Hewlett-Packard to provide the Future Firecrest programme was signed. [268876]
Gillian Merron: The contract was signed in February 2005.
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the Future Firecrest programme was initially scheduled for completion; and what the initial estimate of its cost was. [268877]
Gillian Merron: At initiation, the Future Firecrest programme was expected to complete in February 2012, and to cost £401 million.
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the Future Firecrest programme is scheduled for completion; and what his most recent estimate of the cost of the programme is. [268878]
Gillian Merron: The programme is currently expected to complete in February 2012 at a cost of £401 million.
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many bidders his Department initially considered to supply its Future Firecrest programme. [268879]
Gillian Merron: From the list of companies registering a potential interest in response to the notice published in the official journal of the EU, five were invited to submit detailed proposals. Following evaluation of these, three bidders were shortlisted.
G20: Greater London
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what arrangements are being made by his Department to accommodate those persons attending the G20 summit; and if he will make a statement. [268582]
Gillian Merron: Participating countries were responsible for their own accommodation arrangements and costs.
G20: Internet
Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much funding his Department provided to the G20 Voice programme; and for what purposes such funding was used. [269025]
Gillian Merron: No funding has been provided by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to the G20 Voice programme.
Government Hospitality Advisory Committee for the Purchase of Wine
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost to the public purse of the Government Hospitality Advisory Committee for the Purchase of Wine was in each of the last five years. [269134]
Gillian Merron: The members of the Government Hospitality Advisory Committee for the Purchase of Wine do not charge for their services. The Committee’s expenses are met from the Government Hospitality budget, and cost in the region of £10,000 per annum. The Committee’s administration is carried out by a full-time civil servant, and accounts for approximately 20 per cent. of his time.
Government Hospitality Fund
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who the (a) chairman and (b) members of each Government Hospitality Fund advisory committee are; what each committee’s terms of appointment are; how often each Committee meets; what the main functions are of each one; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the minutes of the most recent meeting of each committee. [269135]
Gillian Merron:
Government Hospitality has one advisory committee, the Government Hospitality Advisory Committee for the Purchase of Wine (GHACPW). As a
registered non-departmental public body, the terms of reference of the Committee are in the public domain.
The Chairman of the Committee is Sir David Wright; the four members of the Committee are Mr. John Avery MW, Mrs. Deirdre Blackstock MW, Mr. Mark Pardoe MW and Mr. Sebastian Payne MW. The chairman and members are each appointed for a five-year term, renewable for a further five years.
The GHACPW meets four times a year. Its main function is to advise the Minister responsible for Government Hospitality on the maintenance of an appropriate standard of wine for use at Government functions.
Edited minutes of the Committee’s proceedings are released through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Publication Scheme. The Annual Report of the Committee is placed in the Library of the House.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many (a) full-time employees and (b) full-time equivalent staff the Government Hospitality Fund employed in each of the last five years. [269136]
Gillian Merron: Government Hospitality is part of Protocol Directorate within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. There are 14 established civil servants working in the Government Hospitality team, and this number has not varied significantly over the last five years.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much the Government Hospitality Fund spent on the purchase of (a) champagne and (b) other wines in each of the last five years. [269137]
Gillian Merron: Government Hospitality in Protocol Directorate, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, recorded the following expenditure on new stock for the Government cellar in the previous five years:
| £ | |
These sums include approximately £33,310 spent on purchasing champagnes over the five year period.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the budget of the Government Hospitality Fund was in each year since 1997. [269138]
Gillian Merron: Government Hospitality recorded the following expenditure in the years since 1997:
| £ | |
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what budget has been set for the Government Hospitality Fund for (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11. [269139]
Gillian Merron: An annual budget of £800,000 has been allocated for Government Hospitality, Protocol Directorate, for each of the next two financial years.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to how many official functions the Government Hospitality Fund provided services in each of the last five years. [269140]
Gillian Merron: Government Hospitality in Protocol Directorate, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, assisted in the organisation and execution of the following number of functions between 2004 and 2008:
| Number of functions | |
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