Question follow-through · 119657

China: Diplomatic Service

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate she has made of the number of diplomatic officers posted to China who are proficient in Chinese to C1 CEFR level or higher.

answeredForeign, Commonwealth and Development Office

About this written question

A written question asks a government minister for information in writing. Parliament publishes the question and any answer.

Answering body
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Tabled
10 Mar 2026
Target answer date
12 Mar 2026
Answer
16 Mar 2026 · 6 calendar days after tabling

Elapsed calendar days describe the record timeline, not whether Parliament considers an answer on time.

Recorded timeline

  1. 10 Mar 2026

    Question tabled

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate she has made of the number of diplomatic officers posted to China who are proficient in Chinese to C1 CEFR level or higher.

  2. 12 Mar 2026

    Target answer date

    Date supplied by the official written-questions record.

  3. 16 Mar 2026

    Answer published

    I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 6 November 2025 in response to Question 86285.

Open official record

Official data retrieved 28 Sept 2026.

Later records

Possible follow-up questions

Strong links require the same MP, department and exact heading. Other same-department questions are shown as unreviewed candidates, not as confirmed follow-ups. No debate link is asserted unless a stable source relationship exists.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

China

10 Apr 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many full-time equivalent civil servants were allocated to the China desk in each of the last three years for which data is available; and what were their grades.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Russia

10 Apr 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many FTE civil servants were allocated to the Russia desk in each of the last three years for which data is available; and what their grades were.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Iran

10 Apr 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many FTE civil servants were allocated to the Iran desk in each of the last three years for which data is available; and what their grades were.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Civil Servants: Languages

10 Apr 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many civil servants in her Department held a language qualification in each of the last three years; and in what languages.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Equality

10 Apr 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many equality, diversity and inclusion related events the Permanent Secretary in her Department has attended since 5 July 2024.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Civil Servants: Languages

10 Apr 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many language sessions were offered to civil servants in her Department in each of the last three years; and in what languages.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Civil Servants: Languages

10 Apr 2026 · 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.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Training

10 Apr 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many civil servants in her Department attended at least one session on (a) equality, diversity and inclusion, (b) culture and (c) wellness in each of the last three years

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Staff

10 Apr 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many people in her Department work in HR and the People function.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Training

10 Apr 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much her Department spent on (a) equality, diversity and inclusion, (b) culture and (c) wellness (i) training courses and (ii) events in each of the last three years.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Training

10 Apr 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many courses were offered internally on (a) equality, diversity and inclusion, (b) culture and (c) wellness in each of the last three years.