To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to his statement in The Sunday Times of 6 January 2008, when he expects the planned increase in numbers of diplomatic staff in the middle east and south Asia to have been completed. (305571)

The planned increase in numbers of diplomatic staff (not including UK Trade and Industry staff) took place throughout the last financial year (April 2008 to March 2009). This saw an extra 32 front line staff deployed across the middle east and south Asia.