Protect FCO's budget or reduce Britain's global diplomacy

Sunday 01 Mar 2015 @ 08:05
Parliamentary Committees and Public Enquiries

The Government must protect FCO budgets from further cuts before capacity is damaged any further, says the Foreign Affairs Committee in its report on the performance and finances of the FCO, published recently.

Chairman of the Committee, Rt Hon Sir Richard Ottaway MP, said:

"The cuts imposed on the FCO have been severe and have gone beyond just trimming fat. Further cuts would mean a reduction in the UK’s diplomatic imprint and influence, and the FCO would need to aim to do less. The FCO’s budget is a tiny element of Government expenditure but it makes a disproportionate contribution to policy-making at the highest level, including decisions on whether the UK should go to war. Impairing the FCO’s analytical capacity for the sake of a few million pounds could be disastrous and costly. The next Government should protect FCO budgets from any further cuts."

FCO pay

The Committee warns that the disparity between pay rates for staff in the FCO and those in other Departments is eroding morale. If the FCO is to continue to attract the brightest and best, it will need to eliminate the pay differential or safeguard benefits and allowances.

Export target

The Committee points out that UK exports would have to grow by 10 per cent each year if the Government is to meet its target to double exports to £1 trillion by 2020. It recommends that a new, more realistic target is set by the Government and it calls on other Departments to play their part in helping to reach it.

Sponsorship

The Committee concludes that the amount currently being raised through corporate sponsorship of FCO activities hardly justifies the reputational risk to the Department. It says that the FCO should derive greater value for the taxpayer by extracting more from commercial sponsors, on the understanding that all sponsorship should be transparent and published on a rolling basis.

Diversity

The Committee expresses disappointment at the FCO’s failure to meet its diversity targets, particularly in relation to increasing the proportion of women in senior management. It finds that the problems are not a reflection of institutional barriers but rather a lack of confidence among women that they have the same opportunities for career development and advancement as men.

Further information

Channel website: http://www.parliament.uk/

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