HIGH COMMISSIONS AND EMBASSIES (Personnel and expenditure)

Mr Chow Chiok Hock asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs (a) to date, how many High Commissions and Embassies have been set up and in which countries; (b) how many personnel for diplomatic service have been recruited; and (c) what is the annual expenditure for High Commissions and Embassies.

Mr Rajaratnam: Mr Speaker, Sir, I informed this House in December last year that it was the intention of the Government to establish diplomatic missions before the end of the year in ten countries.

As of now, diplomatic missions have been established in the following countries: Australia, Cambodia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Thailand and the United Kingdom. In addition, a permanent mission to the United Nations has been established in New York. It is hoped that before the end of the year, diplomatic missions will also be established in India, the United Arab Republic and possibly Japan.

As regards the second part of the question, the Public Service Commission has so far recruited four new entrants, and in addition approved the secondment of eight senior officers from different branches of the home civil service for service in overseas missions. These figures do not, of course, include the heads of missions nor do they include Division II officers serving in overseas missions.

As regards the third part of the question on annual expenditure, last year this House voted a sum of $� million for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This sum was spent on setting up the Ministry itself and two overseas missions - one in Kuala Lumpur and the other in New York. This year, a sum of $4 million has been voted. However, since most of the overseas missions were not fully established until the middle of this year, the expenditure for the first half of the year was below the expected average. Members will appreciate that until the missions have been fully in existence for at least a year, it will not be possible to give reliable estimates of the annual expenditure.