asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether any civilian staff under his Department are employed in the British occupied area in Germany; and can he state how many persons are so employed, and what is the approximate cost?

Apart from the British Consul-General and Vice-Consul at Cologne, the only civilian staff employed under the Foreign Office consists of the staff of the British Department of the Inter-Allied Rhineland High Commission. The total number, including the British High Commissioner, is 141, and the estimated cost for the year 1924–25 is £75,000. This expenditure is borne by the German Government.