Cost of maintaining the FCDO’s overseas estate

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s (FCDO) overseas estate encompasses over 6,000 properties spread over almost 180 countries and valued at around £2.5 billion. The varied locations and uses of properties in this estate each present their own unique challenges which range from supply issues to security concerns. The overseas estate also hosts the operations … Show more

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s (FCDO) overseas estate encompasses over 6,000 properties spread over almost 180 countries and valued at around £2.5 billion. The varied locations and uses of properties in this estate each present their own unique challenges which range from supply issues to security concerns. The overseas estate also hosts the operations of at least 30 other UK government departments and bodies that require a presence overseas. In 2023, the FCDO estimated the cost of maintenance for this estate was at least £250 million. The FCDO’s estate has grown considerably since the Committee last reported on this issue in 2010, when it warned that the Department had a poor understanding of its overseas estate and the information it had on these properties was incomplete, out-of-date and inaccurate. More recently, the Committee examined the Government’s management of its estate in the UK, and found worrying signs that there was a ‘lack of ambition’ to reduce significant maintenance costs. The National Audit Office (NAO) recently examined how the FCDO manages and maintains its estate. Since 2010 the FCDO has been required to fund its estates capital programme through asset sales. The sale of assets in Bangkok and the partial sale of assets in Tokyo provided the Department with around £1.2 billion which has contributed to the recent completion of projects in Washington DC, Paris and Ottawa. Based on the NAO’s findings, the Committee will hear evidence from senior FCDO representatives, with likely topics including: Examining the FCDO’s strategy for meeting current and future maintenance demands of its overseas estate; Exploring the long-term viability of the current funding model used for overseas estate capital projects and; Questioning if the FCDO is managing its assets in the most cost-effective manner, or if more can be done to ensure it secures the best value for taxpayer's funds. If you have evidence on these issues please submit it here by 23:59 on Thursday 26 June 2025. Please look at the requirements for written evidence submissions and note that the Committee cannot accept material as evidence that is published elsewhere. Please note that the Committee’s inquiry cannot assist with individual cases. If you need help with an individual problem you are having, you may wish to read the information on Parliament’s website about who you can contact with different issues . Show less