[Withdrawn] Foreign and Commonwealth Office single departmental plan: May 2018
Updated 27 June 2019
© Crown copyright 2019
This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.
Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.
This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/foreign-and-commonwealth-office-single-departmental-plan/foreign-and-commonwealth-office-single-departmental-plan-may-2018
Our single departmental plan sets out our objectives and how we will achieve them.
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
Permanent Under Secretary and Head of the Diplomatic Service
Local Knowledge, National Interest, Global Reach
Our vision is to build a truly Global Britain, which is outward-looking and confident on the world stage. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is central to delivering a successful Global Britain.
We work to realise our vision of a Global Britain: one that is respected abroad, tolerant at home, engaged in the world and working with our international partners to advance the prosperity and security of our nation for generations to come.
Our objectives
We will:
- Protect our people
- Project our global influence
- Promote our prosperity
- Manage our business
1. Protect our people
Lead official
Phillip Barton CMG, Director General Consular and Security
1.1 Safeguard our national security by countering terrorism, extremism, weapons proliferation, and other state and non-state threats in co-operation with allies and partners
| How we will achieve this |
|---|
| Reduce threats to the UK and its interests overseas from Daesh, extremism and terrorism, weapons proliferation, focused on North Korea and Iran; and illegal migration and serious and Organised Crime (elements contribute to SDG 16) |
| Raise the costs of malicious cyber activity and defend a free, open, peaceful and secure cyberspace |
1.2 Assist British people living, travelling and working around the world when they are most in need
| How we will achieve this |
|---|
| Provide high quality, accessible consular services globally, focused on those most in need |
| Reduce preventable incidents affecting British people overseas through collaboration with partners and governments |
| Respond rapidly to all overseas crises, leading cross-government action |
1.3 Work to strengthen Euro-Atlantic security
| How we will achieve this |
|---|
| Ensure a strengthened, more cohesive NATO with increased defence contributions from European Allies and an effective Western response to Russian security challenges |
| Support a more resilient European neighbourhood, including through hosting a successful Western Balkans summit |
| Build a distinct UK voice and strategy on wider Euro-Atlantic policy through a new security partnership with the EU, deepened bilateral/small group links with other Europeans, and a renewed dialogue with the US |
2. Project our global influence
Lead officials
Richard Moore, Director General, Political
Deborah Bronnert CMG, Director General, Global Britain
2.1 Project our influence to reduce conflict and create stability
| How we will achieve this |
|---|
| Strengthen the rules based international system, including more credible United Nations (UN) action to resolve conflict, working with the UN Secretary General on reform (elements contribute to SDG 10) |
| Focus UK effort on National Security Council priority countries, advancing political processes in Afghanistan, Syria, Libya, Yemen |
2.2 Promote UK interests and values
| How we will achieve this |
|---|
| Champion democracy, human rights and the rule of law and address global challenges, including through campaigns on preventing sexual violence in conflict, reducing modern slavery and promoting female education (elements contribute to SDG 10) |
| Promote human and environmental security through the London Illegal Wildlife Trade Conference in 2018, reducing threats to endangered species (elements contribute to SDG 15) |
| Deepen relationships between states and peoples, including through follow up work from the Commonwealth Summit in April 2018 which agreed action to help build more prosperous, secure, sustainable and fair societies (elements contribute to SDG 17) |
3. Promote our prosperity
Lead officials
Deborah Bronnert CMG, Director General, Global Britain
Lindsay Croisdale-Appleby, Director General, EU Exit
3.1 Promote our partnership with Europe and deliver a deep and special partnership with a strong European Union that contributes to the prosperity, security and global power of our continent
| How we will achieve this |
|---|
| Bolster bilateral relationships and people-to-people links with partners across Europe |
| Support DExEU to achieve its negotiating objectives for EU Exit |
| Deliver results on FCO-led EU Exit issues such as sanctions legislation, Overseas Territories (including Gibraltar), the Kimberley Process (conflict diamonds) and third country agreements |
3.2 Work around the world to strengthen our prosperity
| How we will achieve this |
|---|
| Showcase global leadership of free trade and economic diplomacy, supported by a fully developed trade profession |
| Reinforce the World Trade Organisation’s role in global trade and deepen dialogues with future Free Trade Agreement partners |
| Achieve, with DIT, the UK government’s strategic vision to support UK exports and inward and outward investment |
| Promote economic development and security, clean and sustainable growth and better business environments in key markets (elements contribute to SDG 17) |
3.3 Build resilient Overseas Territories
| How we will achieve this |
|---|
| Build resilient Overseas Territories with good governance, increasingly diversified economies and prosperous communities, able to better prepare for and recover from crises |
4. Manage our business
Lead official
Peter Jones, Chief Operating Officer
4.1 Develop a more expert and agile FCO supported by a world class platform, leading work overseas on Global Britain
| How we will achieve this |
|---|
| Implement a new organisational structure for the FCO supported by a world class platform, leading work overseas on Global Britain |
| Set out a clear and consistent offer to our local staff, through our Post-owned Local Staff Charter |
| Revise our global mobility framework to ensure we have expert staff in the places that most matter |
| Implement the Skills Statement 2020, delivering priority areas for all staff for building capability |
| Roll out modern and flexible IT hardware and software across the network |
| Create a digitally enabled department, transforming services and businesses processes |
| Simplify corporate services across the overseas network to offer greater clarity, better services and better value, freeing up time for front line diplomacy |
How we manage our performance
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is committed to measuring progress against the goals we set ourselves. We aim to influence and shape ideas, individuals and decisions, using diplomatic, development and defence tools.
Our biannual reviews of business plans, where Senior Responsible Owners are asked to provide a narrative update and red, amber, green rating for progress towards annual and 4-year goals, provide a measure of progress. End of year progress can be seen in the FCO Annual Report and Accounts. Directorates report their impact as it occurs through the Priority Outcome impact monitoring process. The end-year review includes challenge sessions for each Priority Outcome.
Civil Service People Survey employee engagement index
| Year | FCO employee engagement index (%) |
|---|---|
| 2017 | 70 |
| 2016 | 71 |
| 2015 | 68 |
Source: Civil Service People Survey; release schedule: annual
Our equality objectives
We have set objectives to help us advance equality. In addition to our policy delivery around the world that aims to support inclusive development the FCO has internal objectives. These are:
-
A diverse talent pipeline: levelling the playing field by providing further support for talent from under-represented groups
-
Tackling bullying, harassment and discrimination
-
Creating an inclusive culture: driving a step change in leadership and line manager capability and behaviour on diversity
Our finances
Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) (including depreciation): £2.5 billion
Resource DEL (including depreciation): £2.4 billion
Capital DEL: £0.1 billion
Annually Managed Expenditure: £0.1 billion
Programme Funds managed by the FCO for conflict and peacekeeping are estimates and are included within the DEL.
Control totals included in this document are in line with those presented in the Main Supply Estimates 2018 to 2019 and are currently subject to Parliamentary approval. Any changes arising from the Parliamentary approval process will be reflected in due course.
Source: Main Supply Estimate 2018 to 2019
Our people
As 31 December 2017, the FCO had 4,450 full-time equivalent employees, not including its agencies.
Source: ONS Public sector employment data; release schedule: quarterly
The FCO also had 8,037 local staff people (employed locally by a British Diplomatic mission overseas).
How we contribute to cross-government priorities
We work across government on cross-cutting issues, including:
- Tackling modern slavery and people trafficking
- Immigration
- Race disparity