Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many (a) male and (b) female (i) HM Ambassadors and (ii) High Commissioners there are from each region of the UK.

We are unable to breakdown the region that each and every one of our Ambassadors and High Commissioners was born in without incurring disproportionate costs. We are able to breakdown by the constituent country within the UK as follows:

Male Female
England 80 22
Scotland 5 1
Wales 3 0
Northern Ireland 1 0
Born outside the UK or not recorded on file 29 7

There is also one post where the Ambassador's role is shared by one male and one female, both from England.

The key principle of all FCO appointments is selection by merit through fair and open competition. Place of birth has no effect on our appointments system. All UK based members of staff have to be British citizens.