Asked by: Viscount Trenchard (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the sale of part of the British Embassy in Tokyo during the 150th anniversary year of the visit to the UK of the Iwakura Mission.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO has completed the sale of an under-used part of our Tokyo compound to Mitsubishi Estates, while retaining the Chancery building and its historic frontage. In line with our ambitions for the Indo-Pacific tilt, this sale gives us the opportunity to modernise and upgrade our Tokyo embassy to ensure it is truly representative of the best of Britain, including through sustainable and inclusive design, whilst also preserving its heritage buildings. The sale has maximised value for money for the British taxpayer, funding much-needed investment not just in Tokyo but also elsewhere in our global estate. The Japanese Government has been kept informed of our plans.
Asked by: Viscount Trenchard (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications of the decision to sell part of the British Embassy estate in Tokyo.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO has completed the sale of an under-used part of our Tokyo compound to Mitsubishi Estates, while retaining the Chancery building and its historic frontage. In line with our ambitions for the Indo-Pacific tilt, this sale gives us the opportunity to modernise and upgrade our Tokyo embassy to ensure it is truly representative of the best of Britain, including through sustainable and inclusive design, whilst also preserving its heritage buildings. The sale has maximised value for money for the British taxpayer, funding much-needed investment not just in Tokyo but also elsewhere in our global estate. The Japanese Government has been kept informed of our plans.
Asked by: Viscount Trenchard (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Treasury provide the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office with financial support for the (1) maintenance, and (2) development, of the overseas diplomatic estate; and if not, what assessment they have made of the compatibility of this approach with their (a) Global Britain, and (b) tilt to Asia–Pacific, policies.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO's Spending Round settlement provides funds for the maintenance of the diplomatic estate. The disposal of surplus, under-used and uneconomic assets releases capital to enable us to invest in the estate. Taken together, this provides much needed investment in the FCDO's wider diplomatic estate, providing modern, fit for purpose offices and residences, tackling a large deficit of health and safety, backlog building maintenance and security-related needs across Europe, Africa and elsewhere in the Indo-Pacific region, and funding various projects to help towards the FCDO's Net Zero ambitions.