Committee publication · Correspondence · 27 November 2024 · HC 385
Correspondence with the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State relating to the 'Work of the FCDO' evidence session on the 18th November, dated 25/11/24 and 19/11/24
From: Foreign Affairs Committee
Inquiry: Work of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Summary
Correspondence between the Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Emily Thornberry and FCDO Permanent Under-Secretary Sir Philip Barton following the committee's 18 November 2024 evidence session on FCDO operations. Barton addresses nine substantive areas: Abercrombie House visits and relocation timeline (now expected late 2026/early 2027, delayed from 2025), staffing plans for Glasgow (1,500 by 2027, including 70 senior civil servants), budget underspends in 2023-24, diversity metrics, and BBC World Service funding announcements.
Key findings
- Abercrombie House relocation from East Kilbride to Glasgow now expected to begin late 2026/early 2027, not 2025; delay attributed to lengthy due diligence on building selection; costs subject to ongoing negotiations with HM Treasury and National Property Controls approval pending.
- FCDO targeting 1,500 staff in Glasgow by end 2027, with over 250 staff already signalled interest in relocating; 70 senior civil servants (SCS) to be based there; relocation packages capped at £14,000 in expenses per employee.
- 2023-24 underspend of £1.0 billion (DEL and AME combined) largely explained by ringfenced budgets (£119m Resource DEL, £93m Capital DEL) and late-year technical adjustments; HM Treasury assessed FCDO finance function as 'consistently high level' on six of seven metrics.
- Ethnic minority representation in senior grades on track to meet 14% target by 2026 (currently 14.2% at SCS2/Director level, 16.4% at Grade 7); Black staff representation below 1% at Grade 6 and SCS levels, with FCDO scoping Race Culture Enquiry.
- Gender Pay Gap reduced to 2.7% from 9.8% in 2020; women represent 45.7% of SCS, 37.1% at Director level (SCS2), and 51.4% at Director General level (SCS3); no target date set for eradication but senior leadership monitoring closely.
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Sir Philip Barton KCMG OBE, Emily Thornberry MP, Foreign Affairs Committee, HM Treasury, National Property Controls, Nick Dyer, Minister West, BBC World Service
Notable line
“While 2025 is no longer a realistic option, we want to make the move as quickly as we can thereafter.”
Key Quotes
“Our due diligence work to identify the right building option for the FCDO has taken longer than anticipated. but this has offered assurance on our building option.”
“Our hope is that the move can begin in late 2026/early”
“We are realistic that we will not fill all the roles moving to Scotland by staff relocating from London or from our overseas networks.”
“We have set a target of 70 SCS in our new Joint HQ in Glasgow by the end of”
“In Resource DEL, £119 million of the £174m underspend related to ringfenced budgets for depreciation and the Integrated Security Fund which could not have been spent on other activities.”
“At present, this aspiration has been met for ethnic minority Grade 7s (16.4%) and SCS2s / Director level (14.2%) and we are almost there for Grade 6s”
“We do not have a target date for the eradication of the Gender Pay Gap.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗