To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people have been appointed to his Department outside Civil Service grades in the last 30 days. (153041)

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not hold central records of staff recruited outside the civil service grades on short-term contracts for particular projects. To collate this information would incur disproportionate cost.

The FCO publishes information annually on appointments to the public bodies for which it is responsible. Data for 2006-07 were published on 9 May in the FCO departmental report.