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Government Departments: Overseas Workers

Asked by Mr Richard HoldenConservativeForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled Answered 10 July 2026UIN 13240

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 28 April 2026 to Question 129518, which posts and locations are classified as qualifying hardship posts for the purpose of additional journeys for staff posted overseas.

Answered by Seema Malhotra

Allowances for 'hardship' locations have been a feature of civil service overseas postings for several decades, and New Delhi has been included in the list of those locations since it was first introduced. The list is reviewed on a regular basis to reflect changes in the condition of different locations, and in the configuration of UK posts, but - like New Delhi - the vast majority of cities on the list have held their 'hardship' status unchanged for several decades, and under successive governments.

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