Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what financial resources have been allocated to support the work of his = Department's Special Envoy for Gender Equality in (a) this financial year and (b) the 2017-18 financial year.

The FCO Special Envoy for Gender Equality, Joanna Roper, will lead the FCO's work in delivering my vision of a foreign policy which consciously and consistently delivers for women and girls and which showcases the UK's leading international reputation in this area. This advocacy and coordinating role is aimed at enhancing the impact of the FCO’s network-wide activities in support of gender equality, including through work to promote and protect women’s rights and to tackle violence and discrimination against women and girls. The Envoy will work with relevant domestic and international partners to achieve this objective.

The Special Envoy will begin her work on 1 April 2017. A budget of £250,000 has been provisionally agreed for the 2017/18 financial year, to cover salary, travel and other costs connected to delivering results. It is not possible to express the impact of her role in financial terms; Joanna will be responsible for promoting this agenda across the FCO, by encouraging bold and ambitious policy making and programme support.

The Special Envoy will draw from and coordinate existing staff resource and expertise from across the FCO. We are presently considering with the Envoy possible future staffing needs.