Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, for which of his Department's posts is attendance on the religious literacy course run by his Department's Diplomatic Academy a mandatory part of pre-posting training.

​There are no posts for which pre-posting training in religion and diplomacy is mandatory. However, Foundation Level online learning on Religion and Diplomacy is a mandatory component of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) fast stream induction programme. In addition, the FCO course on religion and diplomacy delivered by the London School of Economics is well advertised throughout the FCO and we actively encourage attendance by staff if their job relates to countries in which religion plays a significant part in social and political life.