Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 26
26
Accepted
FCDO lacks a comprehensive workforce plan for estate management capabilities.
Recommendation
The NAO report highlighted that FCDO has not produced a workforce plan to understand and address capacity and capability issues either in ESND or at posts.72 FCDO told us that while it has skilled professionals in property based in the UK, a big area of its focus is how to upskill its country-based workforce. FCDO considers it likely that this upskilling will be a mixture of training existing staff and recruiting externally, depending on local labour markets. FCDO told us that it is working towards a workforce strategy for the whole estate to address its gaps in skills and capabilities around the world. FCDO told us that it will be developing a workforce strategy which will focus on what skills are necessary at a post, the expertise it can deploy regionally and the expertise it can hold centrally to be able to provide the advice that posts need.73 72 C&AG’s report, para 2.20 73 Qq 53-56 17
Government response summary AI-generated
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation and states it has been implemented, noting that the FCDO has written to the Committee alongside the publication of the Treasury Minute.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government · verbatim extract
Accepted
6. PAC conclusion: FCDO’s ability to manage its estate is hampered by a lack of staff with the necessary skills and experience. 6. PAC recommendation: FCDO should complete its estate workforce strategy, which should set out: • the staff and skills it needs and where they should be best located; • the staff and skills it currently has; and • a delivery plan explaining how it will close any gaps found by for example, training existing staff, moving staff or external recruitment. FCDO should update the Committee on this alongside its Treasury Minute response 6.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Recommendation implemented 6.2 The FCDO has written to the Committee alongside the publication of this Treasury Minute.
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