DR 351: Letter to the Committee Specialist from Julian Smith, Head, Parliamentary Relations Team

 

 

government response to foreign affairs committee report on the fco's departmental report 2007-08

 

Thank you for your letter of 27 July in which you requested further Information on issues covered in the FCO's response to the Committee's Report on the FCO's Departmental Report of 2007-08 (Command Paper No 7585 of April 2009).

 

The additional information you sought is provided below. The points are addressed in the same sequence you raised them in your letter.

 

Recommendation 2: In its Response to the Committee's Report, the FCO acknowledged that "there is a question mark over the future of the Drugs and Crime Programme (DCP) beyond March 2011" as a consequence of the decision to transfer lead responsibility for HMG's international work on drugs and crime to the Home Office. The Committee would like an update on the FCO's discussions with the Home Office on funding for the DCP beyond March 2011.

 

The FCO and Home Office will bid jointly in the next review of Government spending for a pooled programme budget for capacity building against organised crime overseas. This was announced in the Government's new Serious Organised Crime Strategy - "Extending Our Reach: A Comprehensive Approach to Tackling Serious Organised Crime" (Cm 7665), presented to Parliament on 13 July.

 

Recommendation 4: The FCO has announced today (27 July) the appointment of Professor David Clary FRS as its first Chief Scientific Adviser. In its Response to the Committee's Report, the FCO did not accede to the Committee's request to "clarify and justify" the role of its planned new scientific adviser, on the grounds that the appointment would be made only in summer 2009 and would therefore be evaluated in the FCO's Annual Report 2009-10. At this stage, the Committee would like the FCO to outline the process that led to Professor Clary's appointment; and his terms of reference for the position, including the hours which it is planned that he will work, and an explanation for the fact that Professor Clary will, it appears, work as scientific adviser only for the FCO, rather than being shared with another Department, as Sir Peter Ricketts indicated was the most likely outcome when he gave evidence to the Committee last October. The Committee would also like to be informed of the evaluation process to which the role of FCO chief scientific adviser will be subject in the run-up to publication of the FCO's Annual Report 2009-10.

 

The FCO's new Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA) Professor David Clary was selected for this appointment on merit on the basis of fair and open competition. The position was advertised in the national and scientific media.  The selection panel was chaired by a Civil Service Commissioner (Dame Alexandra Burslem) and included Sir Peter Ricketts, Permanent Under Secretary, Professor John Beddington,  Government Chief Scientific Adviser, and Vicky Bowman and Deborah Bronnert,  FCO Directors, Global and Economic Issues. Professor Clary has been appointed on a part-time (40%) basis on a three year fixed term contract from August 2009.

 

The role of the FCO's CSA will be to ensure that the FCO's policies and operations, and its contribution to wider Government issues, are underpinned by excellent science, technology and innovation advice. The CSA will do this through providing advice to the Foreign Secretary, Ministers and officials on science, technology and innovation; engaging actively with the cross-Government community of senior science advisers; building partnerships with stakeholders across the UK and international science and engineering community; promoting the FCO's public science messages alongside the Government CSA; and strengthening scientific and engineering capacity in the FCO. The postholder will report formally to the Permanent Under Secretary, will have the right of access to the Secretary of State, and will maintain his professional independence.

 

We initially considered that the position of FCO CSA might be combined with another departmental CSA. However, after a review of current practice elsewhere and consultation with Professor Beddington, we decided to advertise the position on a part-time basis and fill it through open competition. We were very pleased to have attracted a number of high calibre candidates, and are delighted that Professor Clary has now taken up the position. We will conduct an evaluation of the role after eight months (which coincides with our business planning/annual appraisal cycle), and share our conclusions with the Committee.

 

Recommendation 5: The Committee would like an update on the impact on the Science and Innovation Network and the Government's international science and innovation work of the recent merger of the former Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills and Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform to form the new Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

We are confident that the creation of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) will enhance the Government's international science and innovation work. BIS combines the strengths and capabilities of DIUS and BERR, making the UK best able to compete in the global economy and helping to secure its economic future. BIS continues to invest in the UK's world class science base and develop strategies for commercialising more of that science.

The UK's strategy for investing in science and innovation is set out in the document "10 Year Framework for Science and Innovation 2004-2014", and BIS has allocated £3.4 billion to the UK Research Councils in 2009-10 to fund basic and applied research. BIS also funds the Technology Strategy Board to support nearer market research, development and demonstration, with a budget of £761 million in 2008-11. The Government has just announced the creation of the UK Innovation Investment Fund to support technology-based businesses dependent on equity-based finance. This will have a cornerstone investment of £150 million from the Government, with the aim of creating a fund worth £1 billion over ten years.

Following the merger, the transition has been seamless for the Science and Innovation Network. The Network, which is funded and managed jointly by FCO and BIS, continues to support UK science and innovation to a high standard identifying key and new opportunities. 

These opportunities are in a variety of areas. Clean technologies, renewable energy and other climate change-related research areas have seen positive collaborative activity, giving benefits to the UK from the Network's contact with foreign researchers and their work.

The Network also has the opportunity to influence. A typical example of this saw the science team in Houston produce a report for policymakers on the impact of climate change on Texas, and co-ordinate a visit to the UK by a bi-partisan delegation of Texas state Senators on climate change and energy. Results included a marked shift in the Senators' positions and the filing of eight pieces of legislation aimed at reducing Green House Gas emissions in the state.

The Network collaborates internationally in other areas of UK excellence such as life sciences and nanotechnology. Work with a variety of partners on degenerative illness, infectious diseases and extensive stem cell research has all been made possible through the efforts of the Network at home and overseas.

The Network co-operates closely with UKTI to ensure attendance at the annual UK Nanotech event by those currently at the cutting edge of nanotechnology science and innovation. The Network also keeps the UK sector informed about the latest international activity, through both regular reporting and staging or facilitating attendance at internationally-focused nanotechnology events.

The Network also uses opportunities to work with Whitehall Partners to secure UK engagement where it can be of greatest benefit to the UK. For example in Brazil the Network facilitated a DEFRA-funded joint research programme on second generation biofuels in 2008 and early 2009. The Network has worked with leading scientists and policy makers in Europe and the UK Department of Health in the field of tackling obesity. And it has provided essential support to Help the Aged and its affiliated research arm to identify and engage foreign partners active in addressing the challenges of ageing communities.

Recommendation 12: The Committee would like an update on the FCO's development and rollout of new software to collect activity data, to replace the use of spreadsheets.

 

The FCO Board took the decision in May 2009 to continue using spreadsheets to collect activity recording data, there being no funds currently available for the development and rollout of a new software solution. At the same time, the FCO Board asked if the method of data collection by spreadsheets could be simplified by radically reducing the number of activity categories. Discussion with the owners of these codes continues and a paper is due to be presented to the FCO Board in October 2009.

Looking further ahead, it may be possible to include staff activity recording on the FCO's current Prism software. It will only be possible to look at this solution once all locally- engaged staff have been entered on to the system (target date December 2009) and once the FCO's F3G computer hardware has been installed at all overseas posts (target date Spring 2010).

 

Recommendation 13: In its Response, the FCO states that the changes implemented to its overseas network have resulted in the elimination of 77 policy jobs in European posts and the creation of 172 new policy jobs elsewhere. The Committee would like the FCO to explain how the two figures tally, perhaps by specifying the geographical distribution of the new posts.

 

Staff costs vary from location to location. The savings in Europe were part of a wider shift of resources which included the deletion of policy jobs in London and the Americas.  Together, these freed up the resources to enable us to create 172 new policy jobs. The geographical distribution of those new posts was provided in the Foreign Secretary's response to Parliamentary Question 246268 (28 January 2009 Column 598W - attached).[1] The FCO continuously reviews the deployment of its resources and aligns them flexibly in line with UK interests to the benefit of the British taxpayer.

 

Recommendation 24: In its Response, the FCO said that it would shortly be writing to the Committee about progress on the implementation of the Whitehead Review following the theft of blank passports in July 2008. The Committee would welcome an early update on this matter.

 

We will provide the Committee with an update on this issue in a separate letter.

 

Recommendation 25: In its Response, the FCO notes a number of examples which it says show the benefits of the Defence and Security Organisation (DSO) having access to the full UKTI network. However, in its Annual Report 2008-09, the FCO does not appear to fulfil the Committee's request for a "clear picture" of the extent of these benefits for the UK defence and security sector. In its Response, the FCO promises that data will be available for the 2009-10 financial year, generated by the UKTI Performance Impact and Monitoring Survey, showing the impact of DSO services for SMEs; and that the DSO will also seek to develop a system to track the benefits which it generates for long-term high-value campaigns. The Committee would welcome any data which the FCO could make available now showing the impact of the DSO's work in the 2008-09 financial year; and an update on the development of data systems to track the impact of the DSO's work from the 2009-10 financial year onwards. The Committee would also like to know how the FCO plans to ensure that data on the impact of the DSO's work following its integration into UKTI in 2008 will be comparable with earlier data on the impact of the work of the former Defence Export Services Organisation.

 

For the period covering financial year 2008-09, UKTI DSO measured its activities in terms of the UK's position in the global defence export market. On average UK companies win a 20% share of the annual world defence export market. In 2008-09 the UK was the second most successful global defence exporter, after the USA, achieving sales of £4.2 billion. First results for UKTI DSO from UKTI's Performance and Impact Monitoring Survey (PIMS) will be available at the end of December 2009, with quarterly updates available thereafter. PIMS results at the end of December 2009 will cover support provided during the first quarter of financial year 2009-10.

 

The FAC also asks how the FCO plans to ensure that data on the impact of the DSO's work following its integration into UKTI in 2008 will be comparable with earlier data on the impact of the work of the former Defence Export Services Organisation. The Defence Export Services Organisation measured its activities in terms of the UK's performance in the global defence export market (see earlier data mentioned above). UKTI DSO will continue to publish this defence exports data in a form which is expected to be comparable with earlier published data, with, in due course, the provision of specific Security Sector data, once collated and verified. When available the PIMS data will enhance our knowledge as to how DSO's services are impacting on UK industry.

 

Recommendation 30: The Committee would welcome an update on the steps which the FCO is taking to reform its HR Directorate in order to address the problems identified in the Cultural Audit.

 

The Directorate continues to work on improving its performance, and especially its customer service.  For example, the Directorate's work to overhaul its intranet pages has received very positive feedback from staff at all levels in the organisation, both those based in the UK and overseas.

 

In July this year we launched a new FCO People Strategy, with customer service and strategic flexibility at its heart. The Strategy has three key aims:

 

i) To build, equip and reward a dynamic, professional and flexible workforce to achieve the objectives of the FCO of today and tomorrow.  To foster a culture in which our staff exemplify the behaviours we want; our traditional values of public service, honesty, professionalism, teamwork and integrity; together with greater ambition, creativity and confidence, and the right attitude to risk.

 

ii) To be a good employer to all our staff, providing a healthy and safe workplace where inclusion is the norm and in which every member of staff can realise his/her full potential.

 

iii) To provide a professional and efficient HR service to staff and managers in support of business needs, making full use of our IT systems.

 

Some of the key baselines the HR Directorate has in place for measuring aim iii) are:

 

 - Outreach to all Directorates General through its HR Managers who both know their clients well and are fully integrated into HR structures;

 

 - Better management information which is more easily accessible to support decision making and workforce planning;

 

- Flexible, business orientated application of HR guidelines;

 

- Ensuring all staff have access to professional HR support when they need it.

 

I attach a copy of the People Strategy with this letter[2]. All staff in HR Directorate, along with staff and managers throughout the FCO, are responsible for the successful delivery of the strategy and HR Directorate will be held to account through the annual business plans which are in place for each of the four teams in the directorate.

 

Recommendation 32: The Committee would welcome an update on the implementation of the Local Staff Strategy; and on progress on the harmonisation of pay and conditions for locally-engaged staff of the FCO and DfID where the two organisations are co-located in overseas Posts.

 

We have made good progress in meeting the targets in the Local Staff Strategy:

 

- Through redistribution of existing learning and development funds we are investing a further £5 million in the Regional Training Centres (RTC) network. New training programmes and management courses are being rolled out in this financial year based on training needs analysis. The training opportunities we offer to our local staff are an important part of showing our commitment to 'One Team'.

- Since April 2009 local staff with a security clearance of restricted or above have had unescorted access to all FCO buildings. Local staff visiting UK now benefit from a tailored electronic "Welcome to London" guide and can register with the Local Staff Visits forum to become involved in public diplomacy events.

- A member of local staff from Brasilia has taken up a six month attachment with the Diversity Strategy Unit in London. Americas Directorate is planning seven attachments within the region, four of which will be completed before the end of 2009. Work is underway to facilitate attachments for local staff who are visa nationals as part of the Government Authorised Exchange Programme.

- A declassification project has made the FCO's information management system more easily available to all staff, the next stage is to increase report functionality by including details of all local staff on the system.

- The new FCO corporate identity launched in March has underlined the one team concept. Increasing the number of regional teleconferences has given local staff the opportunity to enter into more direct dialogue with senior management.

- Heads of Mission have been given advice and authority to make more overseas slots available to either UK based or local staff, depending on the prevailing circumstances. The FCO external website links to overseas posts' websites, where local staff vacancies are advertised. The internal local staff vacancy forum has attracted over 6,500 hits.

The FCO/DfID harmonisation exercise is well underway. Three posts (Addis Ababa, Kinshasa and New Delhi) are acting as pilots. Addis Ababa and Kinshasa are nearing completion of their joint pay reviews. Ten more posts have already started the process which, although time consuming for everyone involved, is providing a valuable opportunity for clarification and verification that local staff are paid in accordance with local law and good employer practice. It is also eliminating most of the differences between FCO and DfID local staff reward packages. Full harmonisation may take several years but the essential first steps have been taken. The aim is for all FCO/DfID co-located posts to have completed their joint pay reviews by mid 2010.

 

Recommendation 39: The Committee maintains its recommendation that the FCO should share with it in confidence the Top Risks Register. The Committee is not persuaded by the FCO's reasons for not doing so. If, however, the FCO continues to decline the Committee's request for sight of the Top Risks Register, the Committee requests the FCO to set out the specific concerns which have led it to take this position since 2006 and which did not apply when the Committee was given sight of the Top Risks Register in confidence in that year.

 

The PUS has considered this issue again with the Foreign Secretary.  The Top Risks Register is an internal management tool. The Committee were shown an example of the Register in 2006 to enable members to see how we approach risk management. The Foreign Secretary and the PUS still feel that, due to the operational nature of the content and the importance of ensuring staff feel able to be candid, we cannot give you a full copy. The PUS includes the list of subjects that appear on the Register in his quarterly letters to you. 

 

Recommendation 43: The FCO's Annual Report 2008-09 does not appear to include the details on the operation and impact of the new unified Communications Directorate which the FCO promised in its Response to the Committee's Report. The Committee therefore again requests the FCO to provide the requested information.

 

The 2008-09 Departmental Report included a section (in "The FCO Change Programme" chapter, pages 54-57) about the changes in the way the FCO is now communicating via its new global web platform and how it uses modern, web-based communication tools to meet its public diplomacy and engagement objectives. This is a reflection of the new unified Communication Directorate which brings together all the main elements of the FCO's communication activity.

 

The FCO's Communication Directorate now consists of five groups: 

- Public Diplomacy Group, which includes overseeing our relations with BBC World Service, Wilton Park, Scholarships and the FCO's role in the London Olympics;

- Digital Diplomacy Group, which oversees our global web platform and our digital engagement activity;

- Corporate Communication Group, which includes internal communications, stakeholder relations and corporate identity;

- Strategic Campaigns Group, which including our research and evaluation activity;

- Press Office which continues to work with journalists around the world on a 24/7 basis.

This structure enables us to engage more systematically and collectively with the public at home and overseas, with Whitehall Partners, and with FCO staff in the UK and across the overseas network. Feedback through our stakeholder and staff surveys indicates that this approach is working. If the Committee would like any more detailed information about the work of any of the Groups in Communication Directorate, I will be happy to provide it.

 

Recommendation 44: Having noted that the FCO accepted its recommendation as regards the Department's website, the Committee would like to know when the FCO plans to have included there a chronological archive of FCO press releases. The Committee would also like to know whether the FCO has commissioned any research on users' evaluation of the redesigned FCO website, or plans to do so.

 

We have begun our enhanced search project and plan to have dramatically improved search across all of the FCO's websites by the end of December 2009 at the latest. This will include an easily accessible archive of FCO press releases responding to the Committee's recommendation. The FCO commissioned extensive usability and accessibility testing on the present design of FCO websites before their launch in 2008. The FCO is now redesigning all its websites incorporating feedback we have received.

 

Recommendation 45: The FCO's Annual Report 2008-09 does not appear to include the information which the Committee requested in its Report, and which the FCO promised in its Response, on progress which the FCO has made towards the creation of a new framework for evaluating public diplomacy activities. Given the timing which the FCO outlined in its Response for completion of the joint FCO/British Council review of the pilot projects in this area i.e. autumn 2009, the Committee would welcome an assurance that it will receive copies of the report of the review as soon as possible, and an indication of when this is likely to be.

 

The FAC will receive copies of the Public Diplomacy Pilot Review report. We are on track to complete this by 30 September 2009.

 

Recommendation 51: The Committee would welcome an update on the pursuit of a Cultural Centres Agreement with Russia.

 

There has been no change in the situation on the Cultural Centres Agreement. The Council continues to undertake important cultural work from its Moscow office. One example is the support the Council gave in arranging a major exhibition of JMW Turner's work in Moscow earlier this year. It received over 100,000 visitors and was named the "Exhibition of the Year" by Russian critics.

 

 

18 November 2009

 

 

 

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[1] Not published.

[2] Not published.