Mike O'Brien MP

Security Information for Business

This scheme is a response to a growing demand from British business for improved arrangements for government and business to share information on a wide range of issues affecting their security. We have been working together with the CBI to identify ways in which we can meet these demands.

Business needs good information to ensure that they are making the right decisions on their investments in overseas markets and for the protection of their staff.

Although the threat from terrorism is at the front of our minds, the scheme is designed to cover all aspects of security risk.

This includes information on issues relating to terrorism, crime and civil disturbance, political issues, local law enforcement arrangements, personal protection, bribery and corruption, human rights, ownership of physical or intellectual property rights and transborder issues.

The scheme builds on existing services. Information and advice on security is already provided to members of the public in the form of country-specific Travel Advice notices on the FCO website.

In the UK, country desks in the FCO's geographical departments are available to provide information on security, although this service is not currently much used.

Most of our overseas Posts already have arrangements to exchange information on security with locally based British businesses and to provide information on request to business visitors.

Many of them hold regular meetings with their business communities.

But the new scheme will make the service more systematic, will seek to ensure that all Posts and FCO departments provide a consistent level of service and will encourage a more proactive approach. It will make businesses more aware of the support we offer and make it clear how they can access the information.

The new scheme will establish a forum in the UK for talk about security risk problems.

A Steering Group, consisting of FCO, CBI and British Trade International officials and other business representatives, will manage the process and monitor feedback from those using the scheme to ensure we are fully addressing the needs of business. Wider meetings will be held as required to address specific areas of concern.

We envisage discussion of the political and security background in countries of interest and an opportunity to share information. Companies can register to receive invitations to these meetings.

We have tightened up the way the FCO responds to enquiries. Companies will initially talk to a central point in the FCO from where the enquiry will be referred to the appropriate official. The aim is to ensure that enquiries are handled professionally and consistently.

Much of the sharing of information will take place overseas, between officials in our network of overseas Posts and the locally based representatives of British businesses, or visitors to overseas markets.

The FCO has the distinct advantage of having a global reach, and our Posts overseas are well placed to provide timely information on developments in a particular market.

One of the elements of the new scheme will be to ensure that Posts have a forum for discussion of risks with the local business community. We do not intend to impose a single model throughout the world, as circumstances and the level of demand will vary greatly. But we have instructed all Posts to nominate a single contact point for the Security for Business scheme.

The contact point will be responsible for bringing together the knowledge at the Post to relay it to business.

The FCO and CBI websites contain details of contact points in the FCO and at each of our overseas Posts, and are linked up.

I should like to emphasise two point's further points: firstly, this scheme is about providing information rather than advice. It will be for companies to make their own decisions on what they will do with the information.

Secondly, this scheme is not about providing privileged information to business that is not available to the general public. Its purpose is to provide targeted information to meet the specific needs of business.

Before ending, I should like to recognise the contribution that the Foreign Policy Centre has made to our thinking as we have developed this scheme.

The Foreign Policy Centre has been working on a project on Corporate Personnel Security in Emerging Markets and it invited representatives of the FCO and CBI to participate in the project steering group. This is therefore an excellent example of government, business and civil society working successfully together.

I would like to thank the CBI, and particularly David Burrill and Gary Campkin, for the work they have done in helping to establish this new scheme and to you, Digby, for hosting the launch this morning. I look forward to our working closely together in taking forward this important initiative.