Select committee: Foreign Affairs Committee

Work of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Closed Opened 16 Mar 2020 Closed 29 May 2024

Foreign Affairs Committee Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗

Inquiry scope (the committee's words)

The Committee periodically questions the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs and the Permanent Under-Secretary, alongside other relevant officials on the overall management of the FCDO, topical or urgent matters and the Committee’s inquiry work.

Where it stands

The inquiry is closed, opened 16 March 2020.

The committee has not published a report yet.

Evidence

12 oral evidence sessionsLatest 9 January 2024
15 witnesses

All evidence

Recent activity

Oral evidence session9 January 2024, Oral evidence
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Quarterly Corporate Update: August - October 202322 November 2023, Correspondence
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Quarterly Corporate Update: May - July 20236 September 2023, Correspondence

Oral evidence sessions

12 sessions

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Date	Session and witnesses	Source
9 Jan 2024	Oral evidence session Sir Philip Barton KCMG OBE · Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, The Rt Hon. the Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton · Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office	View ↗
28 Mar 2023	Foreign Affairs Committee Juliet Chua CB · Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Sir Philip Barton KCMG OBE · Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office	View ↗
14 Nov 2022	Foreign Affairs Committee Rt Hon James Cleverly MP · Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Sir Philip Barton KCMG OBE · Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office	View ↗
28 Jun 2022	Foreign Affairs Committee Kumar Iyer · Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Rt Hon Elizabeth Truss · Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, Sir Philip Barton KCMG OBE · Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office	View ↗
7 Mar 2022	Foreign Affairs Committee Rt Hon Elizabeth Truss · Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Sir Philip Barton KCMG OBE · Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, Thomas Drew CMG · Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office	View ↗
2 Mar 2022	Foreign Affairs Committee Rt Hon Elizabeth Truss · Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Sir Philip Barton KCMG OBE · Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office	View ↗
3 Feb 2022	Foreign Affairs Committee Rt Hon Elizabeth Truss · Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Sir Philip Barton KCMG OBE · Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office	View ↗
6 Jul 2021	Foreign Affairs Committee Rt Hon Dominic Raab · Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office	View ↗
26 Jan 2021	Foreign Affairs Committee Colin Bell · HSBC, Noel Quinn · HSBC	View ↗
10 Nov 2020	Foreign Affairs Committee Juliet Chua · Department for Education, Sir Philip Barton KCMG OBE, Permanent Under Secretary and Head of the Diplomatic Service	View ↗
6 Oct 2020	Foreign Affairs Committee Rt Hon Dominic Raab	View ↗
19 Mar 2020	The work of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Rt Hon Dominic Raab, Sir Simon McDonald · Foreign and Commonwealth Office	View ↗

Who gave evidence

15 witnesses

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Witness	Organisation	Sessions
Sir Philip Barton KCMG OBE · Permanent Under-Secretary	Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office	7
Rt Hon Elizabeth Truss · Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office	3
Rt Hon Dominic Raab	Not recorded	2
Colin Bell · Group Chief Compliance Officer	HSBC	1
Juliet Chua · Director General for Schools	Department for Education	1
Juliet Chua CB · Director General, Finance and Corporate	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office	1
Kumar Iyer · Director General, Economics, Science and Technology	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office	1
Noel Quinn · Group Chief Executive	HSBC	1
Rt Hon Dominic Raab · Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs and First Secretary of State	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office	1
Rt Hon Elizabeth Truss · Secretary of State	Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office	1
Rt Hon James Cleverly MP · Minister of State (Minister for Middle East and North Africa)	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office	1
Sir Philip Barton KCMG OBE, Permanent Under Secretary and Head of the Diplomatic Service	Not recorded	1
Sir Simon McDonald · Permanent Under Secretary and Head of the Diplomatic Service	Foreign and Commonwealth Office	1
The Rt Hon. the Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton · Foreign Secretary	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office	1
Thomas Drew CMG · Director General, Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office	1

Correspondence

15 letters

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Published	Direction	Letter
22 Nov 2023	Not recorded	Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Quarterly Corporate Update: August - October 2023
6 Sep 2023	Not recorded	Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Quarterly Corporate Update: May - July 2023
28 Jun 2023	From committee	Letter to the Foreign Secretary following up on the FAC oral evidence session on 12 June 2023, dated 27/06/2023
24 May 2023	Not recorded	Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Quarterly Corporate Update, February to April 2023
10 May 2023	Not recorded	Correspondence from the Minister for Europe following up on the FAC oral evidence session on 28 March 2023, dated 26/04/2023
26 Apr 2023	Not recorded	Correspondence from the Permanent Under-Secretary following up on the FAC oral evidence session on 28 March, dated 24/04/2023
7 Dec 2022	Not recorded	Correspondence from the Foreign Secretary relating to HMG’s Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI) Strategy, dated 28/11/2022
23 Nov 2022	Not recorded	Correspondence from the Foreign Secretary following his appearance before the Committee on 14 November 2022, dated 15/11/2022
8 Sep 2022	Not recorded	Correspondence from the Foreign Secretary following the FAC oral evidence session on 28 June 2022, dated 29/07/2022
23 Mar 2022	Not recorded	Correspondence from the Foreign Secretary relating to reorganised FCDO structures, dated 21/03/2022
21 Jul 2021	Not recorded	Correspondence from the Foreign Secretary following his appearance before the Committee on 6 July 2021, dated 12/07/2021
11 Feb 2021	To committee	Letter from HSBC following their appearance before the Committee on 26 January 2021, dated 05/02/2021
13 Jan 2021	To committee	Letter from the Permanent Under-Secretary following his appearance before the Foreign Affairs Committee on 10 November 2020, dated 23/12/2020
18 Nov 2020	Not recorded	Correspondence with the Foreign Secretary relating to staffing and external engagement, dated 9/11/2020 and 19/10/2020
18 Nov 2020	To committee	Letter from the Foreign Secretary following up on his evidence to the Committee, dated 5/11/2020