The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Whitehall, seen from St. James’s Park

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, more commonly known as the Foreign Office (or the FCO), is the United Kingdom government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom abroad. The head of the FCO is the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which is commonly abbreviated to Foreign Secretary. This position is traditionally regarded as one of the three most prestigious appointments in the cabinet below that of Prime Minister, alongside those of Chancellor of the Exchequer and Home Secretary. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1800x1344, 627 KB) The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Whitehall, London, England. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1800x1344, 627 KB) The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Whitehall, London, England. ... The agencies responsible for the government of the United Kingdom consist of a number of ministerial departments (usually headed by a Secretary of State) and non-ministerial departments headed by senior civil servants. ... The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (colloquially called the Foreign Secretary) is a member of the British Government responsible for relations with foreign countries, heading the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (often called simply the Foreign Office). ... The Rt. ... The Home Secretary (official full title Secretary of State for the Home Department) is the chief United Kingdom government minister responsible for law and order in England and Wales; his or her remit includes policing, the criminal justice system, the prison service, internal security, and matters of citizenship and immigration. ...

Current ministers

Ministers at the FCO, as of 22 September 2005, are as follows: September 22 is the 265th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (266th in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

• Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs - The Rt Hon. Jack Straw, MP
  • Minister of State for Europe - The Rt Hon. Douglas Alexander, MP
  • Minister of State for Trade - Ian Pearson, MP
  • Minister of State - Dr Kim Howells
  • Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State - Lord Triesman of Tottenham

The Permanent Under-Secretary and Head of the Diplomatic Service is presently Sir Michael Jay (a senior civil servant). The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (colloquially called the Foreign Secretary) is a member of the British Government responsible for relations with foreign countries, heading the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (often called simply the Foreign Office). ... Jack Straw The Right Honourable John Whitaker Jack Straw (born August 3, 1946, Buckhurst Hill) is a British Labour Party politician. ... The Right Honourable Douglas Garven Alexander, born 26 October 1967 in Glasgow, is the British Member of Parliament for Paisley and Renfrewshire South in Scotland. ... Minister of State is a title borne by officials in certain countries governed under the parliamentary system. ... Dr Ian Phares Pearson (born 5 April 1959, West Midlands) is a politician in the United Kingdom. ... Minister of State is a title borne by officials in certain countries governed under the parliamentary system. ... Dr Kim Scott Howells (born November 27, 1946 in Merthyr Tydfil) is a Labour politician in Wales, and member of Parliament for Pontypridd. ... A Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, in the United Kingdom government structure, is a minister who is junior to a Minister of State who is then junior to a Secretary of State. ... David Maxim Triesman, Baron Triesman (born 30 October 1943) is a Labour member of the House of Lords. ... In the United Kingdom, the non-political civil service head of a government department, as distinct from the political Secretary of State to whom he or she reports. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

History of the department

The department's origins

The Foreign Office's Grand Staircase in 1868.

The FCO was formed in 1968 out of the merger of the short-lived Commonwealth Office and the Foreign Office, the Commonwealth Office having been formed only in 1966 by the merger of the Commonwealth Relations Office and the Colonial Office. The Commonwealth Relations Office had been formed by the merger of the Dominions Office and the India Office in 1947, with the Dominions Office having been split from the Colonial Office in 1925. ImageMetadata File history File links Foreign_Office_Grand_Staircase_ILN_1868. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Foreign_Office_Grand_Staircase_ILN_1868. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... The position of Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs was created on August 1, 1966 by the merger of the old positions of Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations and Secretary of State for the Colonies. ... The position of Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs was created in the United Kingdoms governmental reorganization of 1782, in which the Northern and Southern Departments became the Home and Foreign Offices. ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link goes to calendar) // Events January January 1 - In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa ousts president David Dacko and takes over the Central African Republic. ... The Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations was a British Cabinet office existing between 1947 and 1966, responsible for dealing with British relationship with members of the Commonwealth of Nations (its former colonies). ... The Secretary of State for the Colonies or Colonial Secretary was the British Cabinet official in charge of managing the various British colonies. ... The position of Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs was a British cabinet level position created in 1925 to deal with British relations with the Dominions — Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Newfoundland, and the Irish Free State. ... The India Office was the British government department responsible for the government of British India. ... 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ...

The Foreign Office was formed in March 1782 by combining the Southern and Northern Departments, each of which covered both foreign and domestic affairs in their respective geographical parts of the Kingdom. The two departments' foreign affairs responsibilities became the Foreign Office, whilst their domestic affairs responsibilities were assigned to the Home Office. 1782 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The Secretary of State for the Southern Department was a position in the cabinet of the government of United Kingdom up to 1782. ... The Secretary of State for the Northern Department was a position in the Cabinet of the government of the Kingdom of Great Britain up to 1782. ... The modern concept of Small Office and Home Office or SoHo , or Small or Home Office deals with the category of business which can be from 1 to 10 workers. ...

Recent developments

On December 2, 2003, the FCO announced eight strategic priorities for the next five to ten years, in its first strategy document: December 2 is the 336th day (337th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

1. A world safer from global terrorism and weapons of mass destruction
2. Protection of the UK from illegal immigration, drug trafficking and other international crime.
3. An international system based on the rule of law, which is better able to resolve disputes and prevent conflicts.
4. An effective EU in a secure neighbourhood.
5. Promotion of UK economic interests in an open and expanding global economy.
6. Sustainable development, underpinned by democracy, good governance and human rights.
7. Security of UK and global energy supplies.
8. Security and good governance of the British Overseas Territories.

In August 2005 a report by management consultant group Collinson Grant which criticised the management structure of the department was made public by Andrew Mackinlay. The report noted that: Terrorism is the unconventional use of violence for political gain. ... Weapons of mass destruction (WMD) generally include nuclear, biological, chemical and, increasingly, radiological weapons. ... Retail selling Street selling is the bottom of the chain and can be accomplished through purchasing from prostitutes, through cloaked retail stores or refuse houses for users in the act located in red-light districts which often also deal in paraphernalia, dealers marketing merriment at night clubs and other events... International crime can be: Crime that crosses international borders, and usually committed by international criminal groups. ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Sustainable development is a process of developing (land, cities, business, communities, etc) that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs according to the Brundtland Report, a 1987 report from the United Nations. ... Human rights are rights which some hold to be inalienable and belonging to all humans. ... A United Kingdom overseas territory (formerly known as a dependent territory or earlier as a crown colony) is a territory that is under the sovereignty and formal control of the United Kingdom but is not part of the United Kingdom proper (almost exclusively Great Britain and Northern Ireland). ... Deaths in August 19 Mo Mowlam 12 John Loder 6 Robin Cook Other recent deaths 17 July Sir Edward Heath Ongoing events • Investigation into July 2005 London bombings • Iraqi insurgency • Big Brother UK series 6 • Justice For Robert McCartney • European Constitution Ratification • Rebuilding of Wembley Stadium • 2012 London Olympics Future... Management (from Old French ménagement the art of conducting, directing, from Latin manu agere to lead by the hand) characterises the process of leading and directing all or part of an organization, often a business, through the deployment and manipulation of resources (human, financial, material, intellectual or intangible). ... A consultant (from the latin consultus meaning legal expert) is a professional that provides expert advice in a particular domain or area of expertise such as accountancy, technology, the law, human resources, marketing, medicine, finance or more esoteric areas of knowledge, for example engineering of different kinds, scientific specialties such... Collinson Grant are a management consultancy company based in Manchester, United Kingdom. ... Andrew Stuart MacKinlay (born 24 April 1949, Hampstead) is a British politician. ...

• The Foreign Office could be "slow to act".
• Delegation is lacking within the management structure.
• Accountability was poor.
• 1200 jobs could be lost.
• At least £48 million could be saved annually.

The Foreign Office commissioned the report to highlight areas which would help it achieve its pledge to reduce spending by £87 million pounds over three years. In response to the report being made public, the Foreign Office stated it had already implemented the report's recommendations. [1]

History of the building

The western or park end of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's building in 1866. It was then occupied by the Foreign and India Offices, while the Home and Colonial Offices occupied the Whitehall end.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office occupies a building which originally provided premises for four separate government departments: the Foreign, India, Colonial and Home Offices. Construction began in 1861 and finished in 1868. It was designed by the architect George Gilbert Scott in an Italianate style. He had wished it to be Gothic, but the Foreign Secretary Lord Palmerston, insisted on a classical style. ImageMetadata File history File links Foreign_and_India_Offices,_London,_1866_ILN.jpg Summary This illustration of the Foreign and India Offices was published by the Illustrated London News in 1866. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Foreign_and_India_Offices,_London,_1866_ILN.jpg Summary This illustration of the Foreign and India Offices was published by the Illustrated London News in 1866. ... St. ... Whitehall, London, looking south towards the Houses of Parliament. ... 1861 is a common year starting on Tuesday. ... 1868 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The chapel of St Johns College, Cambridge is characteristic of Scotts many church designs Sir George Gilbert Scott (July 13, 1811 - March 27, 1878) was an English architect of the Victorian Age, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches and cathedrals. ... Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston (October 20, 1784 - October 18, 1865) was a British Prime Minister and Liberal politician. ...

Over the years the offices became increasingly cramped due to staff numbers and much of the fine Victorian interior was covered over, especially after World War II. In the 1960s demolition was proposed, but due to a public outcry asserting its heritage value the building was retained and extensively refurbished. It is open to the public each year on Open House Weekend. The Foreign and Commonwealth is now also the main tenant of the Admiralty Extension building at the opposite end of Horse Guards Parade. The term Victorian architecture can refer to one of a number of architectural styles during the Victorian era: Neoclassicism Gothic Revival Italianate Second Empire Neo-Grec Romanesque Revival (Includes Richardsonian Revival) Renaissance Revival Queen Anne Jacobethan architecture (the precusor to the Queen Anne style) British Arts and Crafts movement painted... World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrination, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atomic bomb. ... The 1960s in its most obvious sense refers to the decade between 1960 and 1969, but the expression has taken on a wider meaning over the past twenty years. ... Open House London is an organisation which promotes appreciation of architecture by the general public. ... The Admiralty was the authority in the United Kingdom responsible for the command of the Royal Navy. ... Horse Guards Parade, London Horse Guards Parade is a large parade ground off Whitehall in central London. ...

See also

• Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
• Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs
• Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations
• Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs

• Heads of the United Kingdom Mission in Japan

The position of Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs was created in the United Kingdoms governmental reorganization of 1782, in which the Northern and Southern Departments became the Home and Foreign Offices. ... The position of Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs was created on August 1, 1966 by the merger of the old positions of Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations and Secretary of State for the Colonies. ... The Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations was a British Cabinet office existing between 1947 and 1966, responsible for dealing with British relationship with members of the Commonwealth of Nations (its former colonies). ... The position of Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs was a British cabinet level position created in 1925 to deal with British relations with the Dominions — Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Newfoundland, and the Irish Free State. ... The following is a chronological list of British heads of mission (ministers and ambassadors) in Japan, 1859–2004. ...

External links

• Official website
• Official website of FCO Services
• Official departmental website