Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government why the former Ambassador to Bahrain, Roderick Drummond, has not been instructed to hand back the award given to him by the government of Bahrain, given the terms of the UK Rules on Acceptance of Foreign Awards; and what assessment they have made of the potential consequences for the performance of UK ambassadors which may arise from allowing the retention of such honours by former ambassadors.

The UK Rules on Acceptance of Foreign Awards state that permission will not be given to requests to confer a foreign order, decoration or medal on Heads of HMG diplomatic missions. Where an award is conferred without permission, a Head of Mission, will not be given permission to formally accept, or wear, the award but is allowed to retain it. There is no requirement to return the award. Diplomatic Missions in London are reminded annually of the requirement to seek agreement to confer a foreign honour on a British national.