Written evidence from Adam D G MacLeod
FOREIGN AND
COMMONWEALTH OFFICE—UNSATISFACTORY
STAFFING ARRANGEMENTS
I would be grateful if you would say whether
you have any plans to investigate the organisation of the Foreign
and Commonwealth Office.
I ask because the arrangements for posting staff
in that Department are far from satisfactory.
Because some two thirds of the staff are in
overseas postings lasting around three years, there is a steady
flow of officers returning from abroad.
One would expect that a central Personnel Department
at FCO HQ would carefully plan the movement of each officer with
a view to his career development, and that he would be given details
of his new post at HQ before he returned to UK, or as soon as
he reported at HQ.
However, several years ago, on the recommendation
of a team of experts, FCO dispensed with their central Personnel
Department.
This has led to an extraordinary situation where:
(a) There are no arrangements for allocating
officers returning from abroad to specific posts.
(b) Each officer on return has to apply for a
vacancy as an when it is advertised in a periodical FCO notice.
(c) For each vacancy an interview panel has to
be set up to select the most suitable candidate.
(d) At any one time some 200 or more officers
of varying grades are left completely idle, yet on full pay.
(e) They are not even allowed to "help out"
colleagues on a casual basis.
I am sure you will agree that this is a gross
waste of the talents of skilled and experienced officers and of
taxpayers' money—and is deeply demoralising for the officers
concerned.
20 November 2009
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