Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure her Department has a gender balance in its staffing.

When the FCDO was created we were clear about our ambition to be a truly inclusive organisation. We want the FCDO to fully reflect the diversity of the UK population we serve. As of 30 September 2021 51.8 per cent of FCDO staff are female. A key objective of the new department is to ensure that our aligned policies both support and promote gender equity. More broadly, the FCDO is committed to widening representation for under-represented groups, including women, and building an inclusive workplace to attract, engage, develop and retain talented, diverse staff.

The FCDO has also made significant progress over the last year. Women now make up over 30% of all Heads of Missions and 42% of all senior civil servant roles are filled by women. Of the Heads of Mission roles in our top 26 diplomatic missions, 18 are filled by women, including in Berlin, Tokyo and Washington.