Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether exit payments paid to departing Ambassadors and Heads of Mission are published in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's annual reports and accounts (1) by both name and amount, or (2) anonymised by grade and amount.

It has been the normal practice under successive governments, including the one in which the Noble Lord served, for the details of individual severance payments received by ministers to be disclosed on a named basis in departmental annual reports, but for payments made to senior officials, special advisers and other employees to be disclosed anonymously.