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Foreign office expands global property empire - 17 May 2011

The British flag is fluttering above more buildings around the world than ever before, despite the Foreign Office’s struggle with a multimillion-pound cut in its annual budget and plans to shed hundreds of jobs from its workforce.

While the Government’s spending cuts are stifling departments across Whitehall, figures seen by The Independent on Sunday reveal that the FCO is sitting on an expanding worldwide property empire that is worth more than £2bn.

The Foreign Secretary, William Hague, claimed last week that the case for a stronger diplomatic network across the world was "utterly compelling", as he signalled an increased British presence in places such as Brazil, Turkey, Mexico and Indonesia. The shake-up, confirmed after MPs complained that the department’s performance had suffered due to a lack of resources, will be funded by £100m of "administrative savings" every year.

But Mr Hague did not disclose that the number of properties owned by the FCO across the globe has risen to more than 2,300 – at a time when all government departments have been under severe pressure to cut costs.

Source: The Independent

 


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