Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to resolve industrial disputes in his Department and ensure adequate consultation with unions.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) engages regularly and constructively with all its recognised trade unions on workforce matters. The Department is also meeting Public and Commercial Services (PCS) specifically on the dispute at their request, with the aim of addressing concerns through constructive dialogue. The FCDO remains of the view this dispute was triggered prematurely, given the restructure process is ongoing and no staff have yet been placed at risk of redundancy. Our restructure process was designed specifically to minimise the potential need for redundancy. The restructuring programme is necessary to ensure the FCDO can deliver on its objectives, remain within its financial settlement and respond more effectively to evolving global challenges.