Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase the number of (1) UK national, and (2) local, staff at British embassies in EU member states; and whether those plans will have implications for staffing levels of UK diplomatic posts in other countries.

Since the vote to leave the EU we have strengthened our diplomatic network in Europe by creating 50 new Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) diplomatic positions in our Embassies in Europe. The FCO is developing proposals to make £4.2 million of savings to fund the 50 new jobs in Europe and balance the FCO budget during this Spending Round. Savings will come from changing the way we work in some locations, for example how we provide security and facilities management, getting better value from our estate, and using better IT to support more flexible operating models, as well as from some staff savings in Asia, the Americas and Africa.