6 Departmental response
49. In 2008, the FCO has maintained its generally
very good record of responding to our Reports on time, and, with
one exception, has continued to issue its responses as full Command
Papers.[21]
50. We welcome the fact that the FCO is now regularly
supplying us with quarterly management reports; these are of great
assistance in our work. However, we regret that the FCO has maintained
its refusal to supply us with its Top Risks Register, particularly
in light of the Government's decision to publish a national risk
register, and despite the fact that in 2006 we requested and received,
in confidence, a copy of the Register.
51. In our Report on Overseas Territories we
drew attention to several instances in which the responses of
FCO Ministers to our questions (in relation to Diego Garcia and
"extraordinary rendition") were unclear and failed properly
to address the issues under scrutiny.[22]
21 The exception was the reply to the Committee's Report
on Proposed Appointment of Rt Hon Jack McConnell MSP as High
Commissioner to Malawi, to which the Government replied in
the form of letters from the Foreign Secretary and the Permanent
Under-Secretary, which the Committee published as appendices to
a Special Report: see previous footnote. Back
22
Foreign Affairs Committee, Seventh Report of Session 2007-08,
Overseas Territories, HC 147-I, paras 56 and 60 Back
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