asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the Foreign and Commonwealth Office leads interdepartmental co-ordination of Commonwealth interests; and, if so, what mechanism is available to achieve this. [HL2653]

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is the lead department for the Commonwealth. In addition, a number of other government departments deal with aspects of the UK's policy on the Commonwealth. These include the Department for International Development (DfID), the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills and the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR). At the recent Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kampala officials from the FCO, DfID, Defra and BERR supported Ministers.

Within the FCO, the International Organisations Department leads on issues relating to the Commonwealth as an international organisation.