Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what proportion of his Department’s (a) advertising and (b) marketing expenditure was on (i) local newspapers in print and online, (ii) national newspapers in print and online, (iii) social media, (iv) search engines, (v) broadcast and on-demand television and (vi) other channels in the most recent year for which data is available.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spent £11,892 in 2022/23 on Advertising costs. This expenditure cannot be broken down further as this is at the lowest level of account code. Advertising and marketing is a necessary and important means of delivering key information to the public.
Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent discussions he has held with the(a) the United Nations, (b) Israeli government and (c) Palestinian authority on steps to improve the safety of (i) journalists and (ii) other media professionals covering the conflict in Gaza.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We recognise the valuable work of journalists operating on the ground in Gaza, providing important coverage of the conflict in incredibly challenging circumstances. The Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary have both met the Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and have stressed to him that Israel must protect all civilians as far as possible and abide by International Humanitarian Law; under International Humanitarian Law, journalists covering conflicts should be afforded protection. We continue to press both at the UN and directly with Israel for unhindered humanitarian access and substantive humanitarian pauses, to ensure the conditions are safe for humanitarian organisations to deliver aid to those in need and give respite to civilians.
The UK also supported the recent Media Freedom Coalition statement expressing concern over the repercussions for the safety of journalists and access to information caused by the serious escalation of hostilities between Israel and Hamas. It called on all parties to the conflict to comply with international law and guarantee the protection of journalists and media workers covering the conflict.
Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what (a) algorithmic and (b) other automated decision making systems his Department uses; and for what purposes.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Automated decision-making refers to both solely automated decisions (no human judgment) and automated assisted decision-making (assisting human judgement). The FCDO is not using algorithmic or "automated decision making" tools or products.
Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Data and Digital Infrastructure of 14 June 2023 at Topical Questions, T7, Official Report, column 286, what plans his Department has to (a) utilise the provisions in Part 3 of the Data Protection and Digital Information (No. 2) Bill and (b) use smart data in new sectors.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO recognises the importance of data and evidence to enabling its diplomatic, development and consular work. The FCDO will work with Cabinet Office and others across HMG to ensure that the FCDO is able to take advantage of the benefits derived from data, including future developments in this space, whilst ensuring we remain compliant with existing data protection legislation.
Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help UK citizens stranded overseas as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Nigel Adams
Following the change to date for answer of this PQ, I submitted a response by email on 26 March, with the following response.The Table Office have agreed this approach.
We are working closely with local authorities, commercial airlines and other diplomatic missions to enable British people to get home. Our consular team is working around the clock to provide support, advice and information. The situation is fast moving, and our advice at this time is for British nationals to secure safe accommodation and to speak to their tour operator, airline and insurance company to discuss the options available to them. Consular teams are continuing to support British people who are experiencing disruption. We are working intensively with the Governments of those countries that have closed their borders to people travelling to and from the UK, to enable airlines to bring back British people to the UK, if that is what they want. British people abroad should keep up to date with our travel advice for the country/territory they are in. We have published advice for British nationals who do not have immediate departure options available to them: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/travel-advice-novel-coronavirus#if-youre-abroad-and-you-want-to-return-to-the-uk.
Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support his Department is providing to UK citizens who cannot get in touch with the airline that has cancelled their flight back to the UK.
Answered by Nigel Adams
Following the change to date for answer of this PQ, I submitted a response by email on 26 March, with the following response.The Table Office have agreed this approach.
Consular staff at local embassies are working around the clock to provide support, advice and information. The British Government is working with airlines to keep routes open and is calling for international action to keep air routes open for a sufficient period of time to enable international travellers to return on commercial flights. British people abroad should keep up to date with our travel advice for the country/territory they are in. We have published advice for British nationals who do not have immediate departure options available to them: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/travel-advice-novel-coronavirus#if-youre-abroad-and-you-want-to-return-to-the-uk
Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the cost to the public purse was of continuity of education allowances for placements at (a) Fettes (b) Gordonstoun (c) Marlborough (d) King's Canterbury (e) Cheltenham (f) Tonbridge (g) Stowe (h) Benenden (i) Ampleforth and (j) Clifton private schools and colleges in 2018-19; how many there were at each school and college in that year; and what the (i) civil service grade and (ii) diplomatic service title was of each claimant.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Members of the diplomatic service are expected to be widely deployable throughout their career. Whilst many parents prefer to take their children with them abroad, in some of the 168 countries and territories where the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has UK-based staff, we do not permit staff to take their children either for health or security reasons, and frequent moves by staff and families between the UK and overseas, and between Posts overseas, can be disruptive to the education of the children. Therefore, the FCO provides Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA). This enables staff who meet certain eligibility criteria to choose to provide an uninterrupted education for their children at a British boarding school in the United Kingdom while they continue to take up postings overseas at regular intervals during their career. CEA is a long-standing FCO policy dating back in its current form to 1996 that provides clearly defined and limited financial support to staff to help maintain the continuity of their children's education. The FCO refunds standard term fees up to a ceiling which is reviewed annually. Where staff opt to send their children to more expensive schools, the difference in cost is met by the individual member of staff.
The figures below represent the data for financial year 2018/19. We are unable to provide the diplomatic service title for each claimant in order to protect their identity. For context, we have set out the FCO's total spend on education for children of staff posted overseas in PQ 752
| | NUMBER OF OFFICERS PER GRADE | | | | | | | |
School | Number of children | A2 | B3 | C4 | C5 | D6 | D7 | SMS | Total costs |
Ampleforth | 4 |
|
|
|
| 1* |
| 2 | 129,081 |
Fettes | 3 |
| 1 |
|
| 1 |
| 1 | 97,949 |
Gordonstoun | 5 |
|
| 3 |
|
|
| 1* | 152,656 |
Marlborough | 2 |
|
|
|
|
| 1 | 1 | 64,952 |
Kings Canterbury | 4 |
| 1* |
|
|
|
| 2 | 123,642 |
Cheltenham | 2 |
|
| 1 |
|
|
| 1 | 56,241 |
Tonbridge | 2 |
|
|
|
|
|
| 1* | 64,952 |
Stowe | 6 |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 195,101 |
Benendon | 3 |
|
|
| 1 |
| 1 | 1 | 97,428 |
Clifton | 0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 0.00 |
TOTAL | 31 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 13 | 982,002 |
*officer has 2 children at the school
Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many diplomatic staff claimed Continuity of Education Allowance in 2018-19 for UK-based private school fees; how many of the claimants were at each pay grade; and what contribution his Department asked claimants to make towards those fees.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Members of the diplomatic service are expected to be widely deployable throughout their career. Whilst many parents prefer to take their children with them abroad, in some of the 168 countries and territories where the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has UK-based staff, we do not permit staff to take their children either for health or security reasons, and frequent moves by staff and families between the UK and overseas, and between Posts overseas, can be disruptive to the education of the children. Therefore, the FCO provides Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA). This enables staff who meet certain eligibility criteria to choose to provide an uninterrupted education for their children at a British boarding school in the UK while they continue to take up postings overseas at regular intervals during their career. CEA is a long-standing FCO policy dating back in its current form to 1996 that provides clearly defined and limited financial support to staff to help maintain the continuity of their children's education.
The FCO refunds standard term fees up to a ceiling which is reviewed annually. Where staff opt to send their children to more expensive schools, the difference in cost is met by the individual member of staff.
The figures below represent the data for financial year 2018/19. For context, we have set out the FCO's total spend on education for children of staff posted overseas in PQ 752.
| | Grade of Officers | | | | | | | | | |
|
| A2 | B3 | C4 | C5 | D6 | D7 | SMS1 | SMS2 | SMS3 | Total |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Number of Officers claiming CEA by Grade | | 5 | 26 | 46 | 46 | 60 | 42 | 62 | 36 | 15 | 338 |
Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much his Department spent from the Continuity of Education Allowance on placements at (a) Eton, (b) Charterhouse, (c) Harrow, (d) Rugby, (e) Shrewsbury, (f) Westminster, (g) Winchester, (h) St Paul's and (i) Merchant Taylors schools in the last financial year for which data is available.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Members of the diplomatic service are expected to be widely deployable throughout their career. Whilst many parents prefer to take their children with them abroad, in some of the 168 countries and territories where the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has UK-based staff, we do not permit staff to take their children either for health or security reasons. However, frequent moves by staff and families between the United Kingdom and overseas, and between Posts overseas, can be disruptive to the education of the children. Therefore, the FCO provides Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA). This enables staff who meet certain eligibility criteria to choose to provide an uninterrupted education for their children at a British boarding school in the United Kingdom while they continue to take up postings overseas at regular intervals during their career. CEA is a long-standing FCO policy dating back in its current form to 1996 that provides clearly defined and limited financial support to staff to help maintain the continuity of their children's education.The FCO refunds standard term fees up to a ceiling which is reviewed annually. Where staff opt to send their children to more expensive schools, the difference in cost is met by the individual member of staff.
The figures below represent the data for financial year 2018/19. For context, we have set out the FCO's total spend on education for children of staff posted overseas in PQ 752.
School | | CEA Costs |
|
|
|
Eton |
| £295,440.00 |
Charterhouse |
| £97,428.00 |
Harrow |
|
|
Rugby |
| £119, 233.00 |
Shrewsbury |
|
|
Westminster |
| £78,651.00 |
Winchester |
| £163,345.00 |
St Pauls |
|
|
Merchant Taylors |
|
|
Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much funding his Department has allocated for the Continuity of Education Allowance to fund school places (a) globally and (b) in England in each of the last five financial years.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Members of the diplomatic service are expected to be widely deployable throughout their career. Whilst many parents prefer to take their children with them abroad, in some of the 168 countries and territories where the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has UK-based staff, we do not permit staff to take their children either for health or security reasons. In others, local schools of an acceptable standard are not available. However, frequent moves by staff and families between the United Kingdom and overseas, and between Posts overseas, can be disruptive to the education of the children. Therefore, the FCO provides Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA). This enables staff who meet certain eligibility criteria to choose to provide an uninterrupted education for their children at a British boarding school in the United Kingdom while they continue to take up postings overseas at regular intervals during their career. CEA is a long-standing policy run under successive governments that provides clearly defined and limited financial support to staff to help maintain the continuity of their children's education.
The figures below are for the whole of the United Kingdom, not just England:
Continuity of Education Figures | |
Financial Year | Total CEA Costs |
2018/19 | £10,932,399.00 |
2017/18 | £11,725.460.00 |
2016/17 | £12,703,109.00 |
2015/16 | £12,409,062.00 |
2014/15 | £12,943,134.00 |
UK based staff who do not use CEA are still required to ensure that their children receive a full-time education from the start of the school term beginning after the child's 5th birthday, continuing until they reach school leaving age. Where no suitable free English language based schooling is available the FCO will meet the costs of schooling at an appropriate English language school (and in some instances non-English language schools) from a list of pre-identified options in the city where staff are based. Currently free English language based schooling is only available in Australia, New Zealand and the United States.
Education at Post figures | |
Financial Year | Cost of Private Schools fees overseas |
2018/19 | £17,266,529.00 |
2017/18 | £16,125,040.00 |
2016/17 | £14,339,087.00 |
2015/16 | £14,207,444.00 |
2014/15 | £11,782,957.00 |