Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the total budget for the new British embassy development in China; what is the target date for the planning permission to be granted; and what is the target date for the final completion of the embassy.

We continue to work on the details of the timetable and budget for the new British embassy in Beijing. We have submitted our planning application for the new embassy and as with any project, this would be subject to due consideration by Chinese authorities.