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14 Jun 2010 : Column 296W—continued
Union Flag
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on flying the Union flag each day from each official building for which his Department is responsible. [1813]
Mr Bellingham: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) issues guidance for the flying of the Union flag on UK Government buildings. The guidance encourages the Union flag to be flown 365 days a year, and as a minimum all Departments must fly the Union flag on the 19 special designated days, for example HM the Queen's birthday, Remembrance Day, etc and other special occasions as required, for example, the State Opening of Parliament. More information on the guidance is available on the DCMS website:
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, flies the Union flag 365 days of the year on buildings in the United Kingdom. At our posts overseas the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (1961) provides in article 20 that:
"The mission and its head shall have the right to use the flag and emblem of the sending state on the premises of the mission, including the residence of the head of mission, and on his means of transport".
Missions in Commonwealth countries fly the Union flag; the Diplomatic flag is flown at diplomatic posts and the Consular flag is flown at consular posts.
We advise our posts that the flag, whether that be Union, Diplomatic or Consular, be flown at the Chancery building on all working days during office hours. Flags at the Head of Mission's residence should be flown only on days of local celebration or mourning, on the 19 special designated days and during the stay of one of Her Majesty's ships.
Departmental Manpower
Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff are employed in each ministerial office in his Department. [1097]
Alistair Burt: I refer the hon. Member to my hon. Friend the Minister for Europe's response of 7 June 2010, Official Report, column 22W.
Departmental Official Cars
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the (a) make, (b) model and (c) place of manufacture is of the car allocated for the use of each Minister in his Department. [1482]
Mr Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has five cars allocated to its Ministers. Three Toyota Prius that were manufactured in Japan, one Vauxhall Vectra Diesel manufactured in Germany and one Jaguar XJL manufactured in the UK.
These arrangements are changing following the publication of the new Ministerial Code which states that:
"the number of Ministers with allocated cars and drivers will be kept to a minimum, taking into account security and other relevant considerations. Other Ministers will be entitled to use cars from the Government Car Service Pool as needed".
Cabinet Office has provided clarification on how the Code should be interpreted. The expectation is that Ministers not in the Cabinet will use the pool service and that Cabinet Ministers who have an allocated car will wish to consider how that car might be utilised by other Ministers within the Department before calls are made on the Government Car Service Pool.
The Department for Transport and its Government Car and Despatch Agency are working with Departments to effect the transition to the new arrangements.
Departmental Official Hospitality
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what budget his Department has allocated for entertainment, including alcohol, in each of the next three years. [1314]
Alistair Burt: In 2010-11 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has currently budgeted £7.67 million on a wide range of activities designed to establish and cultivate contacts throughout its network of over 250 overseas posts as well as diplomatic activity in the UK. This represents under 0.9% of our annual discretionary departmental budget. Activities funded from this budget include working meetings with Ministers in the UK, meetings with senior political and military figures from host countries and events hosted for political and business delegations (including those in support of UKTI) abroad, to promote and defend wider British interests.
Budgets in the FCO are devolved and funds currently earmarked for business hospitality purposes can and will be used to fund other activities in pursuit of FCO and wider Government objectives, both in the UK and in our posts overseas. These budgets were originally set earlier this year and are subject to review and further adjustment as part of our internal Quarterly Budget Review process.
No budgets have been set for 2011-12 or 2012-13 and the FCO will decide allocations for these years in the light of the Spending Round that is expected to be conclude this autumn.
Any expenditure on business hospitality is kept under rigorous scrutiny to ensure value for money and effectiveness and is incurred in accordance with the principles of
Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity, Propriety and Value for Money.
Departmental Public Expenditure
Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his most recent estimate is of the annual cost to the public purse of the ministerial private offices in his Department. [1096]
Alistair Burt: In 2010-11 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has currently budgeted £3.272 million for the administrative and civil service pay costs of ministerial private offices. This figure excludes the costs of ministerial travel which are published to Parliament on an annual basis. FCO budgets are subject to review and further adjustment as part of our internal Quarterly Budget Review process. All expenditure is kept under rigorous scrutiny to ensure value for money and effectiveness and is incurred in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.
Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what cost (a) reductions and (b) savings his Department will be making in 2010-11. [1731]
Alistair Burt: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for North Durham (Mr Jones) on 7 June 2010, Official Report, column 23W.
Embassies: Buildings
Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent estimate he has made of the monetary value of the property occupied by each UK embassy and diplomatic post in the EU. [1122]
Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) estate was most recently valued in March 2010. The estimated book value of owned office buildings in EU posts is set out in the following table. Leasehold properties have a nil book value to the FCO, and are therefore not included.
The FCO does not hold the freehold on its offices in the EU countries not listed on the table (Bulgaria, Hungary, Luxembourg, Malta and Slovenia).
| Country | Post | Book value as at 31 March 2010 (£) |
Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he plans to sell part of his Department's overseas estate. [1123]
Alistair Burt: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Hartlepool (Mr Wright) on 9 June 2010, Official Report, column 164W.
EU Countries: Embassies
Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost was of his Department's presence in each of the 27 member states of the EU in the latest period for which figures are available. [1725]
Mr Lidington: The net cost of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office presence in each of the 27 member states of the EU is provided in the following table.
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