Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many diplomatic posts his Department has (a) opened and (b) closed in the last five years; and whether he plans to open any new diplomatic posts in 2023.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) publishes information about the UK's diplomatic representation overseas on GOV.UK. (www.gov.uk/government/publications/list-of-foreign-office-posts). Published lists date back to October 2014 and are regularly updated, including changes made during the period of enquiry. The lists include all British Embassies, High Commissions and Consulates at the time of publication. Countries not included in a list did not have a permanent UK diplomatic presence at the time of publication.

The locations of HMG diplomatic presence are routinely scrutinised to ensure that the right people are in the right places to deliver UK priorities. HMG redeploy people and resources around the network as needed. A new British Trade Office will open in Almaty, Kazakhstan this year, reflecting a move towards greater engagement with clean energy and digital technology sectors. It replaces our Trade Office in Atyrau, which closed last year. A new office is planned to open in Dodoma to reflect the relocation of the Government of Tanzania from Dar Es Salaam to the capital.