Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 25
25
Acknowledged
FCDO provides diverse support to posts for estate management and maintenance.
Conclusion
ESND provides support to posts in managing their estates by setting corporate standards, and providing guidance and technical assistance. FCDO commissions around 75 regional specialists to support posts: regional technical leads that provide advice on maintenance to posts, and technical works supervisors that provide maintenance in secure areas. FCDO also commissions a worldwide inspection programme which includes mandatory inspections to check the safety and compliance of equipment and machinery at posts.70 FCDO explained that these inspections cover what it classifies as high-risk maintenance activities, such as fire inspections, electrical testing inspections and gas inspections. FCDO told us that it is trying to provide as much guidance, information and support to posts as it can, and going forward it will need to look at how to ensure posts have the skills, knowledge and information required.71 64 Q 71 65 C&AG’s report, para 2.9 66 C&AG’s report para 1.6 67 C&AG’s report, paras 2.18-19 68 Q 53 69 C&AG’s report, paras 2.18, 2.20 70 C&AG’s report, paras 1.6, 2.14 71 Qq 36-37, 53-54 16
Government Response Summary
The government describes FCDO's role in managing its overseas estate, the challenges it faces, and the support it provides to posts.
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
FCDO uses its estate to carry out the UK’s diplomatic, development and consular work around the world. As at December 2024, FCDO had more than 2,200 UK staff based overseas, and it employed 9,143 country-based staff. FCDO’s overseas estate also hosts 5,200 staff from other UK government departments and bodies. FCDO provides the ‘One HMG Overseas’ platform, which provides services including HR, transport, accommodation and finance and to more than 35 other UK government departments, devolved administrations and other bodies. For example, the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) bases staff overseas to support UK trade, exports and investment. Aside from the estate’s functional use as office or residential space, the overseas estate is important for delivering diplomatic and wider government objectives and is a signal of the importance of the UK’s relationship with the host country. We have reported before on the many challenges government encounters in managing property in the UK, such as difficulties capturing estate data, its declining condition and being unable to fund preventative maintenance.4 FCDO faces additional challenges to these in managing its overseas estate. FCDO staff work in some of the most vulnerable locations worldwide and extra security arrangements can be needed, and FCDO also has to adapt to a wide range of different environments, local laws and standards, supplier and labour markets. As a result, FCDO’s estates maintenance approach varies between posts: 84% of posts either have their own in-house estate teams or outsource locally, with the remaining 16% (in Europe and Asia) maintained through regional facilities management contracts.5 FCDO’s overseas posts are responsible for managing their own operations, including their estates. Within FCDO, the Estates, Security and Network Directorate (ESND) supports posts to manage their estate by setting corporate standards, providing guidance and providing technical assistance.6