UK Trade and Investment: Manpower

Mr. Hague
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many of UK Trade and Investment’s overseas staff are provided by (a) his Department and (b) the Foreign and Commonwealth Office; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Thomas
UKTI is not an employer in its own right. For the majority of its civil service manpower requirements it draws on staff employed by one or other of its two parent Departments—BERR and the FCO.

The current full-time equivalent (FTE) number of staff working overseas for UK Trade and Investment is approximately 1,250. Of these, 200 FTE positions are filled by UK civil servants, with the remaining 1,050 FTE positions filled by staff recruited locally by the relevant overseas post. Approximately 85 of the UK civil servants positions are filled by BERR members of staff, on loan to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The remainder (115) of these are filled by FCO employees.

Mr. Hague
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform which countries have seen an (a) increase and (b) decrease in UK Trade and Investment staff in the context of the July 2006 five year strategy on prosperity in a changing world; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Thomas
In the context of the UKTI’s five-year strategy, “Prosperity in a Changing World”, the following countries have seen changes to staff deployment:

Increases

Brazil

China

Hong Kong

India

Indonesia

Malaysia

Mexico

Qatar

Russia

Saudi Arabia

Singapore

South Africa

Taiwan

Thailand

Turkey

Vietnam

Decreases

Australia

Canada

Czech Republic

Denmark

Estonia

Finland

France

Germany

Ghana

Greece

Japan

Kuwait

Latvia

Lithuania

Malta

Nigeria

Poland

Slovakia

Spain

Sweden

Trinidad and Tobago

Uganda

US

Uruguay

An increase in staff resources in Dubai will take place later this year.