Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 September 2026 to Question 19042 on Civil Servants: Redundancy, whether the Secretary of State has delegated the power to dismiss the Head of the Diplomatic Service to civil servants.

By convention, the Permanent Under Secretary (PUS) of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is the Head of His Majesty's Diplomatic Service. As with all Permanent Secretaries, appointment to the role is handled in accordance with the Civil Service Senior Appointments Protocol. The PUS's terms and conditions of employment, including arrangements relating to the end of their service, are governed by their contract of employment and relevant human resources (HR) policies.