Skip to main content

Written question asked by Neil Shastri-Hurst (Conservative) on Friday, 10 April 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 14 April 2026. It was answered by Seema Malhotra (Labour) on Tuesday, 21 April 2026 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.


Civil Servants: Languages

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many civil servants in her Department took part in a language course in each of the last three years; and in what languages.

Answer

In responding to the Hon Member's eleven detailed questions about the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's relative focus on its public sector equality duty obligations compared to certain key foreign policy priorities, I refer him to the answer of 13 November 2025 to Question 88798, and inform him that - by comparison - the Department currently has more than 400 staff in the UK and overseas working on various aspects of the Iran crisis, the conflict in Ukraine, and our policies in respect of Russia and China.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
125803
Session
2024-26
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Civil servants Languages Training
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk