Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many people employed by his Department are (a) responsible for and (b) engaged in developing climate change policies for his Department.

Following the merger of FCDO, we have created a new Climate & Environment Directorate (CED). The Director and all staff are engaged in various aspects of COP26 and climate change policy, galvanising increased global action to tackle the climate crisis and protect nature. The Directorate and our Heads of Mission are supported in their climate work by our overseas network of Climate, Energy and Environment Attachés. They are additionally supported by senior COP26 Regional Ambassadors. The information on numbers is not held centrally.

The Foreign Secretary provided information to the FAC on this issue on 18 June 2021, in the Government's response (https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5802/cmselect/cmfaff/440/44002.htm) to the FAC's report on "A Climate for Ambition: diplomatic preparations for COP26". More information on our work and priorities for the FCDO can be found in our upcoming Annual report, which will be published shortly.