Remarks by Minister for Foreign Affairs K Shanmugam, Second Minister for Foreign Affairs Grace Fu, Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Masagos Zulkifli and Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs Sam Tan in Parliament, 8 Mar 2013

In response to questions by the following Members of Parliament:

Dr Lim Wee Kiak and Ms Irene Ng Phek Hoong on external geopolitical environment 
Assoc. Prof. Fatimah Lateef on developments in ASEAN 
Dr Lim Wee Kiak on ASEAN, relations with neighbouring countries and US-China Relations 
Mr Teo Ser Luck and Mr Hawazi Daipi on relations with China 
Mr Ong Teng Koon on relations with the EU 
Ms Ellen Lee on relations with the EU and Latin America 
Mr Ong Teng Koon on relations with Latin America
Mr Teo Ser Luck and Mr Hawazi Daipi on relations with the Middle East 
Mr Teo Ser L on assistance to developing countries 
Mr Alex Yam Ziming and Mr Sitoh Yih Pin on consular services

Response by Minister K Shanmugam

Overview

Let me start with an overview. The external environment for 2013 will continue to be challenging because the fragile international economic and financial situation will continue.

There is a deficit in global leadership. The United States is still the only truly global power and its leadership role is indispensable for the foreseeable future. But it is preoccupied domestically, as it needs to overcome the domestic political gridlock to jumpstart the economy. China, reluctant to assume greater responsibilities of global leadership, is also preoccupied with maintaining domestic stability and sustaining economic growth.

If you look at other major countries, globally and in the region, such as the European Union, Japan, the Republic of Korea, India, as well as multinational institutions, they are not ready for truly global leadership. We are living through a period of transition and adjustment as relative power balances are adjusted. Thus, the geopolitical environment will continue to be volatile. In our own region, this is reflected in enhanced tensions, such as the maritime claims. For example, between China and Japan, as well as the South China Sea issues.

ASEAN

SPS Hawazi Daipi, Dr Lim Wee Kiak and A/P Fatimah Lateef asked about the recent developments in the region, including the South China Sea dispute, and the implications for Singapore and ASEAN.

Strengthening regional relationships is key to protecting our interests in this unpredictable environment. ASEAN reflects as well as mitigates diversities inherent in the region − it is strategically vital to Singapore as a buffer as well as an influence multiplier.

2012 was not a year that ASEAN could be particularly proud of. Its unity and credibility were painfully tested by the South China Sea issue during Cambodia’s chairmanship. Ongoing developments in the South China Sea will continue to present challenges.

The initiation of arbitration proceedings by the Philippines against China was a national decision of the Philippines. ASEAN was not consulted. China has decided not to participate in the Tribunal hearings. But that is not the end of the story. The tribunal may proceed even without China’s participation. And we can only hope that all parties will remain calm.

ASEAN’s and Singapore’s positions remain unchanged on these issues. ASEAN’s six-point principle, issued on 20 July 2012, called for formal negotiations on a Code of Conduct (COC). Singapore’s position is as stated in our Press Release of 23 January 2013.

ASEAN and China held several rounds of informal consultations on the DOC in the South China Sea and the COC, at officials’ levels over the past year. Senior officials from ASEAN and China will meet next month in Beijing. ASEAN is united in the view that formal discussions between all 10 ASEAN members and China on the COC should begin as soon as possible.

It is important for ASEAN to regain unity and credibility by:

Realising Community-building targets by 31 December 2015. ASEAN Economic Community and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) present opportunities for Singapore.

Remaining relevant and effective; and taking positions on key issues affecting our region, including the South China Sea.

And it’s also important for ASEAN to retain its central role in the regional architecture, particularly in the East Asia Summit (EAS). That depends on our Community-building efforts, particularly the economic pillar, which must continue beyond 2015.

Brunei’s Chairmanship this year will be crucial. Brunei is an experienced and committed member of ASEAN. We are confident that it will promote consensus through consultations with all ASEAN members and our Dialogue Partners. Singapore strongly supports Brunei. We will work closely together with the others to ensure that its Chairmanship is a success.

Neighbouring Countries

Dr Lim Wee Kiak asked about Singapore’s bilateral relations with our neighbouring countries. We have built a firm foundation of strong bilateral relationships in the region. We have good relations with all ASEAN members, in particular strong ties with Malaysia and Indonesia, which are strong, broad-based, with steady bilateral cooperation. All sides recognise the benefits of working together. The Leaders’ Retreat with Malaysia in February took place successfully, and there will be one with Indonesia in April. Elections are expected to take place in Malaysia soon, and Indonesia, of course, by mid-2014. We will work with both countries, and their leaderships. And we will continue to strengthen many existing institutional links.

With Vietnam, we have many high-level exchanges. Bilateral relations continue to strengthen. The 40th Anniversary celebrations are later this year, and we are working towards a Strategic Partnership.

With Thailand, we have strong, long-standing ties, underscored by strong institutional linkages. The Thailand-Singapore Civil Service Exchange Programme, which I officiated with the Thai Foreign Minister in January, is one example. It brings our civil services closer together.

In Myanmar, the story is positive and encouraging, with an upward trajectory in developments. We will keep up our commitment to help Myanmar in capacity building.

With Brunei, the special relations are based on close personal ties, common strategic outlooks and interests. Long-standing cooperative arrangements include the Currency Interchangeability Agreement and, of course, SAF training facilities.

Major Powers

MOS Teo Ser Luck, SPS Hawazi, Dr Lim Wee Kiak and Ms Irene Ng asked about the United States' engagement of Asia in light of the appointment of a new Secretary of State, and the growing US-China competition in this region, and how it might affect Singapore's bilateral relations with the United States and China.

The US-China relationship is a defining relationship for the region and the world.

The United States has a strong historical presence in the region since the end of World War II. That has brought a long period of peace, prosperity and stability for the region, and is a foundation for growth.

It is an important trade and investment partner for Singapore and the region. It is our single largest foreign direct investor, and 5th largest trading partner. It has about US$200 billion of bilateral trade with ASEAN, and is also the 4th largest foreign direct investor in ASEAN. It is a vital source of technology and management expertise.

The United States' engagement of our region has to be based on US interests and not personalities. That has been a basic continuity for more than 30 years, although the tempo of engagement has stepped up of late. That's welcome, and it is significant that President Barack Obama had attended the ASEAN-US Leaders’ Meeting every year. We hope that the new Secretary of State, John Kerry, will continue the US’ active engagement of the region and will make an early visit to Southeast Asia.

China geographically is obviously an intrinsic part of the region with strong historical links as well as growing economic ties with all ASEAN member states. China’s growth is a fundamental for Singapore’s own success and for the region’s success. It has provided strong support for ASEAN Connectivity, for example, the US$10 billion ASEAN-China Investment Cooperation Fund, and the US$15 billion credit support scheme.

It is in our region’s interest to keep both the United States and China engaged in our region, in a collaborative manner; accommodating each other’s and the region’s interest to enhance peace and stability in the region. The United States and China are deeply interdependent across a broad spectrum of areas. Neither can prosper without the other, and both know that. Many bilateral platforms of engagement between the two exist, as well as engagement within the regional architecture, for example the EAS and ARF.

But we must recognise that competition is an intrinsic part of any great power relationship. Interdependence co-exists with strategic wariness. If tensions rise, that will unsettle the region, and domestic politics in both countries is an unknown ‘x’ factor.

Singapore’s consistent position is to maintain strong links with both: close cooperation and common interests across a range of issues; and good personal relations between our leaders and theirs, sustained through leadership changes in both countries. There are good institutional links, for example, the Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation with China, and the US-Singapore Strategic Partnership Dialogue. And these relationships are maintained by frequent high-level exchanges. I will be visiting the US shortly, in fact next week, where I will meet Secretary Kerry. If schedules allow, I also plan to visit China later in the year.

Preliminary Conclusion

Second Minister Grace Fu, Senior Minister of State Masagos Zulkifli and Senior Parliamentary Secretary Sam Tan will respond to the remaining questions. But let me emphasize some key points. The uncertain geopolitical situation and global economic uncertainties continue. We have worked hard to ensure that we are well-positioned to meet these challenges. We have worked to strengthen ASEAN, and built up bilateral accounts with our regional neighbours as well as major powers.

But we cannot be complacent. We will continue to stay alert and nimble, and to respond to challenges and opportunities. People are the key to diplomacy. There is no substitute for people, and MFA is fortunate to have quality staff. The Foreign Service must remain competitive both with other services in public sector and the private sector, and this is necessary to maintain the high standards in safeguarding and advancing Singapore's interests.

Response by Second Minister Grace Fu

Other Key Partners

Thank you Madam Speaker. Mr Ong Teng Koon and Ms Ellen Lee asked about our relations with the EU and other major economies, including Latin American countries. Ms Ellen Lee also asked about the time taken to conclude our FTA negotiations with the EU.

Negotiations on the EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (EUSFTA) started in March 2010. It was substantively concluded on 16 December 2012. This is about the same time as we have taken to negotiate our FTAs with the US, China and India.

Both the EU and Singapore wanted the FTA to be comprehensive and ambitious. It covers not just conventional trade issues such as tariffs and customs procedures, but also newer issues such as renewable energy generation and sustainable development.

MFA and MTI had to negotiate these issues carefully, consulting multiple stakeholders including our local agencies and business associations, and the 27 EU Member States, and understanding the present and future realities and needs of both parties.

Our general approach towards all negotiations is that it is more important to do it right than to do it fast. We are confident that we have secured a comprehensive and high quality agreement that will benefit both businesses and consumers of both parties.

We are also negotiating the EU-Singapore Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (ESPCA), which is a broad framework agreement for deeper economic, political and cultural cooperation between Singapore and the EU.

Approval of the EUSFTA and ESPCA by the EU Council and ratification by the European Parliament and National Parliaments of 27 EU Member States is a complex process and will take time.

Ms Ellen Lee also asked about people-to-people exchanges with the EU. In fact, we agree with Ms Lee that we need to promote broad-based exchanges between Singapore and the EU. We have in fact been doing so. On the education front, the universities have already started many exchange programmes. On the culture front, we have many offerings from European countries and performance groups in the areas of film festivals, performances, and exhibitions of paintings and artwork. There are extensive exchanges across a broad range of areas, from political, economic, to people-to-people.

The EU countries are important as a source of investment for Singapore. Similarly, investment from Singapore in the EU countries has been gaining strength. It stands at $47 billion dollars as of 2011. Repsol is the latest. It is a commercial decision by our businesses. It is important to have deep economic relations, and we will continue to support our businesses in expanding economic opportunities overseas.

We have maintained good relations with other key partners of strategic importance to us. The EUSFTA joins the network of FTAs that Singapore has with the world’s major economies - ASEAN, US, China, Japan, ROK, India and Australia.

We are also negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement which started with Brunei, Chile and New Zealand, and now includes the US, Australia, Peru, Vietnam, Malaysia, and more recently Mexico and Canada.

We hope Japan will join soon. Japan is a strategically important country that should not be excluded.

These FTA networks are not just important economically but also strategically. They provide strong institutional links to key global and regional powers. Members will know how vital international trade is to Singapore. As our FTAs are all WTO-plus, in other words, better terms than the WTO, they collectively help to provide an added impetus to global trade liberalisation talks.

Expanding Global Reach (to Latin America)

I would like to thank Mr Ong Teng Koon for highlighting the potential of Latin America, as well as giving us an education on football.

It is important that we continue to engage emerging markets, including in Latin America. We fully recognise that it is increasing in economic and political influence. Trade with the region has more than doubled since 2005 to reach US$30.1 billion in 2011. Countries like Brazil and Mexico are playing important roles in international bodies such as the UN, G20, and WTO. This was why we opened our first Embassy in Latin America in Brasilia in September 2012. Minister Shanmugam will be visiting Brazil in early April.

It is also interesting to note that Latin America is also expressing greater interest in ASEAN, in Asia and in Singapore. We have stepped up political engagement in the past few years both at the leaders and at the officials’ levels through institutionalised bilateral political consultations.

In the past three years alone, we have concluded five Air Services Agreements - with Brazil, Ecuador, Paraguay, Colombia, and Uruguay. We have signed a DTA with Panama, and are in negotiations with Ecuador, Peru, and Uruguay. We have also signed a partial Visa Abolition Agreement with Brazil; and both Uruguay and Mexico have unilaterally waived visa requirements. These agreements, including work on investment guarantee agreements, will make it easier for our companies to do business in Latin America.

Ms Ellen Lee asked about the passing of the Venezuelan President, Mr Hugo Chavez.

First of all, let me express my condolences to the people of Venezuela on the passing of President Hugo Chavez, who will be sadly missed by his people. Singapore enjoys good economic ties with Venezuela. We understand that presidential elections will be held in 30 days and Vice President Nicolas Maduro will assume the Presidency in the interim. We will continue to work closely with President Chavez's successor on strengthening our bilateral relations.

Senior Minister of State Masagos Zulkifli will now speak about our engagement of emerging markets in the Middle East.

Response by Senior Minister of State Masagos Zulkifli

Expanding Global Reach (to Middle East)

Madam Chairman, MOS Teo Ser Luck and SPS Hawazi asked about developments in the Middle East and Singapore's efforts to tap on the emerging markets in the Middle East and Turkey.

Singapore is actively expanding our reach to emerging markets in the Middle East and we are monitoring the fluid geopolitical situation in the region closely, where the uncertainties are mainly in the Levant and the Maghreb.

Our focus in the region remains on the Gulf countries which are stable, except perhaps for Yemen. Last year, our trade with Middle East countries reached S$75.9 billion. We will establish a Consulate-General in Muscat, Oman later this year. With this, we now have a diplomatic presence on the ground in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Qatar and Oman.

Our engagement is not only economic. There remains keen interest to learn from Singapore’s developmental experience. For instance, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamad bin Zayed Al Nahyan instructed officials to visit Singapore just a few months ago to understand our water management strategies – a strategic issue for the UAE.

We also received study visits by the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood to learn from our developmental experience in areas such as economic planning, developing SMEs, public administration and port management. I called on President Mohamed Morsi when I visited Cairo last November and he expressed admiration for Singapore’s achievements. As Egypt undergoes a challenging political transition, Singapore is happy to share our experiences where relevant.

The Palestinians have also expressed interest in learning from Singapore. Last month, I attended the Conference on Cooperation among East Asian Countries for the Palestinian Development in Tokyo where we pledged Singapore’s assistance towards the Palestinian National Authority's capacity-building efforts – an enhanced technical assistance package worth S$5 million over five years. I also met Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, who highlighted education as one area they are keen to learn from Singapore’s experience. 
Singapore has been expanding relations with Turkey too, which has a growing importance both in the Middle East and Asia. We opened an Embassy in Ankara in July 2012 and there has been increased bilateral engagement. Minister Shanmugam visited Turkey in January 2013 and he had a good discussion with Turkish leaders on how to enhance economic, transport and cultural relations.

Another emerging market that we have been watching is Africa, where recent developments and economic performance have opened up possible opportunities for Singapore companies.

Let me now hand over to SPS Sam Tan who will respond to the rest of the questions on Singapore's technical assistance to other countries and MFA's consular assistance to Singaporeans.

Response by Senior Parliamentary Secretary Sam Tan

Singapore’s assistance to other countries

Madam Chairperson. Minister of State Teo Ser Luck and Ms Irene Ng asked about the rationale behind Singapore’s assistance to other countries and how this has benefited Singapore.

Madam Chair, Singapore extends technical assistance to other countries mainly through the Singapore Cooperation Programme, or SCP in short. We do this as this is the right thing to do, because we want to give something back to the international community for the assistance we had received in the early days of our independence.

However, we do not extend financial aid or fund infrastructure projects, as we find that giving technical assistance is actually the most effective and prudent way for us to help others.

Through the SCP, we train officials from many other countries in areas where Singapore is strong, such as Public Administration, Economic Development, Port Management, Civil Aviation and Water Management. And the list goes on.

Helping our neighbours and friends through the SCP can in return benefit Singapore too. A good part of the SCP is aimed at strengthening ASEAN. It is in our interest that our region is well-governed and attractive to international investment. Singapore also benefits when other countries are well-equipped to deal with transnational challenges such as financial crises, terrorism and pandemics.

The SCP also helps Singapore build friendships. The SCP is very well-received and well regarded by our friends and partners. And since the establishment of the SCP in 1992, we have trained more than 80,000 officials from over 170 countries. So for a small country like ours, it is important to have this international network of friends to help us defend our interests at the United Nations and also other international organisations.

Consular

Madam Chair, Mr Sitoh Yih Pin and Mr Alex Yam asked about what MFA deemed as reasonable or unreasonable requests by Singaporeans for consular assistance.

I would like to take this opportunity to assure Mr Alex Yam that our Consular Officers have long passed through the stage of “Cinderella”, although they may not have been transformed into “princesses”, but nonetheless they live quite happily ever after, so long as they don’t receive too many of these weird or unreasonable consular requests.

Madam, there is an increasing challenge of meeting rising demands for prompt and effective consular services. So from 2001 to 2012, overseas travel by Singaporeans increased by 67% from 3.8 million to 6.4 million annually. In 2012 alone, MFA handled almost 4000 cases of consular request for assistance.

So MFA treats all requests for consular assistance seriously and we will continue to do all we can to assist Singaporeans in distress. But there are also clear limits to what we can do. So we need to act in accordance with international conventions for example the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. We also need to respect local laws and the judicial processes in other countries.

Madam Chair, most of the consular requests are reasonable and have been rendered the necessary and appropriate assistance. But like what was mentioned by Mr Sitoh Yih Pin just now, he quoted the BBC’s report on weird consular requests and I will also want to report to this House that in Singapore we too face a fair share of unreasonable and weird requests. Just let me cite a few examples. We had a request for assistance from a Singaporean to seek a refund after he had procured illegal sexual services. Another case involved a Singaporean living in Indonesia and he requested MFA to ship to him a desktop computer that he had ordered online from the US. Another Singaporean had also sought MFA's assistance to persuade his foreign girlfriend to expedite her divorce proceedings with her husband so that he could marry her.

So such requests divert our limited resources from handling cases of Singaporeans in genuine distress. We are continuing to train and professionalise our Consular Officers at headquarters and at our Overseas Missions. We are also constantly renewing our work processes to better meet the public needs for effective consular services.

Our 47 Overseas Missions are supported by another 29 Honorary Consuls-General offices which provide consular coverage in countries where Singapore does not have resident missions. Where we do not have representation, there is also an agreement among ASEAN countries to help each other’s nationals when there is an emergency. So we can also request assistance from friendly countries like the UK, Australia and New Zealand to render consular services to Singaporeans in places where we do not have a presence and where they have a presence.

Finally, we are leveraging on new technology to improve the quality of our consular services. We launched a mobile application called MFA@SG in August 2012 to allow the public to eRegister and access useful consular information on their smartphones. So I would like to take this opportunity to encourage Singaporeans to eRegister with MFA when they travel overseas. This would allow MFA to provide timely information to them should there be emergencies in the countries that they travel to.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Madam Chair, as Minister Shanmugam mentioned, MFA will face increasing demands and challenges, not only because of external uncertainties, but also from rising expectations of Singaporeans.

So we will continue to work hard to tackle these challenges so as to uphold Singapore’s and MFA's credibility and good standing, both in the international arena and also amongst Singaporeans. Thank you.

SUPPLEMENTARY QUESTION

Dr Lim Wee Kiak: Madame Chairperson, I would like to thank the SMS for talking about the launch of the electronic service, that was one of my suggestions last year. I would like to ask the Minister regarding visa-free travel. I understand that the Singapore passport actually can travel to 164 countries visa-free. Within ASEAN itself, the only country that we cannot travel visa-free is Myanmar. Not sure whether is MFA working on this, whether when will Singaporeans be able to travel visa-free to Myanmar. That’s one question.

The other one is on ASEAN Community 2015. What is the Minister’s assessment on the ASEAN Community 2015; whether will we be able to achieve the target.

And last of all is that, when the KL-Singapore high speed rail is achieved, will there be a possibility there will be a passport-free travel between Singapore and Malaysia.

Minister K Shanmugam: Let me take those three questions in sequence. For visa-free travel to Myanmar, it depends on the Myanmar authorities. Each country decides the framework for immigration, and the current approach of the Myanmar government is that they require visas. And sometimes these issues depend on reciprocity as well. And if reciprocity is required, then from our end we will also have to consider and assess the security situation which depends on Home Affairs and its agencies. I am talking generally and not just about Myanmar. That really answers the third question as well in terms of Malaysia and Singapore.

As regards ASEAN 2015, it is a goal, a vision, something that we want to achieve. It is in our interest as well as the interest of all the ASEAN countries to achieve it. And we have a two-speed process for that because different countries are at different levels of development. We have made considerable progress in terms of removing tariff barriers, in terms of people-to-people connections and political and strategic issues. What I can say to Members is that we will continue to work very hard to try and achieve it. It doesn’t just depend on us; it depends on other countries, their internal processes and political processes. So we will have to see. Thank you.

Ms Irene Ng: Thank you Madame. In my speech I spoke about the challenges facing ASEAN and urged Singapore to play a more proactive role in getting ASEAN back on track. Can I ask the Minister, how he sees Singapore’s role in improving relations in ASEAN and guiding ASEAN through this turbulent and unsmooth time, even if it’s leading from behind? Does MFA have any specific ideas on how we can drive ASEAN in the right direction towards a more cohesive and strong and autonomous ASEAN.

Minister K Shanmugam: I think the question raises two aspects. It is not just about relationships within ASEAN. That may have an impact on ASEAN unity. It is also about relationships between specific ASEAN countries and external powers, which could have an impact on ASEAN unity. And ASEAN as an organisation moves on the basis of consensus. The inherent logic of ASEAN acting together is obviously there, but at the same time, each country looks at its own interests while looking at it within the framework of ASEAN unity. And on specific issues, any country may well decide. Their interests do not (necessarily) coincide with that of the other countries. And in such situations, it’s not often easy to convince any particular country that, for the sake of ASEAN unity, they should take a particular position. Every country understandably will put its own interests up front and centre.

What are we doing about it? We work closely with many other countries to try and move ASEAN further, for example, towards the vision of ASEAN 2015. If you take the South China Sea dispute, the Foreign Ministers’ meeting last year in Phnom Penh did not end in a glorious success. There was no joint communiqué. But soon thereafter, you had the Six Point principles issued at the initiative of Indonesia. And we were very supportive of Indonesia’s initiative. Likewise, we, in our own way, talked to all the different ASEAN countries to see how we can come together and move together. We played a significant role in the ASEAN 2015 vision, both on the trade and industry side, as well as on the MFA side. We work very closely with our partners in ASEAN. But there is a limit to what we can do in the context of an ASEAN where each member has its own interests and where many, many countries are interested in ASEAN, because it’s a region which is dynamic and growing.

MP Alex Yam: Madam Chair, I am happy to hear that Cinderella now lives a somewhat happier ever after life. But this brings me to a question that I raised earlier that has not been covered as yet. I understand that our Foreign Service Officers are paid in a separate pay scale as compared to the rest of the civil service, as such, I would like to know if our officers adequately compensated for what is mainly challenging work that they are doing.

SPS Sam Tan: Madam Chair, I thank the Member for the clarifications. The Foreign Service Officers are paid within the overall framework of the civil service, so although their pay scale may be slightly different, it is still within the framework. The turnover rate that we have seen within the ministry suggests that the morale still high and people are still fairly happy. Therefore, we are quite happy with the situation. However, we will continue to periodically review the terms and conditions to ensure that the Foreign Service Officers remain a happy lot.

Ms Irene Ng: Madam, listening to SPS Sam Tan talking about the unreasonable requests of some Singaporeans such as the illegal sexual services procured and asking MFA to intercede on behalf of his foreign girlfriend reminds me of the saying that sometimes the Ministry of Foreign Affairs - that the twist to the words “Foreign Affairs” may be taken too seriously by some Singaporeans. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has done a great job of providing our Singaporeans with consular services. But can I ask SPS whether given the increasing demands, whether there is sufficient funding to our missions and also to improve its programmes. As Minister has mentioned, diplomacy involves human contact and personal relations and engagement on the ground. Do we invest enough in programmes for our missions to carry out, to build relations and to build goodwill, and at the same time to project a softer face of Singapore to the world, especially through cultural programming?

Minister K Shanmugam: Madam Speaker, as regards to Ms Ng’s point, we will certainly try and do that - or to continue, within our limited resources. But we will certainly try and continue. If I may also deal with the point about remuneration of Foreign Service officers. We try and keep morale up; we try and reward them appropriately. But of course there is always a difference in perception, within the service, as to whether the remuneration is adequate, and it is a continuing conversation that we will have to have in the Foreign Service, with the Public Service Division.

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