Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have received about parity of conditions between employees of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence.

The Cabinet Office has not assessed or received any representations on the parity of conditions between employees of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence.

Further to my response to the Noble Lord Goodlad on the 21 March (HL14735), the Government can confirm that terms and conditions for civil servants below the Senior Civil Service have been to a great extent, and within certain central parameters, in particular those set out in the Civil Service Management Code, formally ‘delegated’ to departments. Accordingly, inter-departmental differences in relation to terms and conditions exist.

The Diplomatic Service is a separate Civil Service from the main (UK) Civil Service and is managed by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.