Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the (a) level and (b) target level of staff turnover was in (i) his Department and (ii) the consular directorate in (A) 2019-20 and (B) 2018-19.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) had a turnover of 5% between 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019, and a turnover of 7% between 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2020. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and former FCO do not have a target number for turnover.

FCO employees are usually appointed in roles for an agreed number of years. The average time someone stays in a role based in the UK is 3 years. The Full Time Equivalent (FTE) number of employees in Consular Directorate increased by 14% in the period 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019. In the period 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2020 the Directorate remained at the same staffing levels.