The House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee today publishes
its report “Flying Home: The FCO's Consular Response to the
COVID-19 Pandemic”.
The Report highlights the inadequate and impersonal communication
by the FCO, concludes that the Government's repatriation
operation was too slow, and calls on the Government to review
loans, particularly for those who are clearly not in a position
to repay them. The Report praises the efforts of FCO staff
members, who worked hard in challenging conditions.
The Committee conducted a survey into the experiences of those
attempting to access consular services during the pandemic, which
has helped to inform this report.
Communication
The Committee found that many (40% of survey respondents) were
unable to make contact with their embassies. Of those who did
manage to contact the embassy, the advice was often outmoded and
unhelpful. Often generic messages were given in place of bespoke,
personalised advice. Many respondents noted that the
communication they received from consular services lacked
empathy. Additionally, some were under the impression that
embassies had in fact closed due to a misleading automated
answerphone message that the FCO was unable to override.
This report recommends that the FCO develops contingency plans
for times of crisis, explores alternative means of communicating
(such as Whatsapp Business) and considers the feasibility of
establishing a logging system for UK citizens abroad.
Additionally, the FCO must make it an immediate priority to
ensure that answerphone messages can be altered centrally.
The FCO must continue to offer clear and bespoke advice even when
their services are under strain.
Repatriation
The Report concludes that the Government's repatriation operation
was too slow and placed too much emphasis on commercial
providers, in contrast with other countries that acted swiftly
and chartered planes. A small amount of chartered flights could
have run alongside commercial flights in order to repatriate the
most vulnerable.
Additionally, the Report questions why, when the FCO was
allocated £75 million to spend on repatriations, it spent only
£40 million. The Committee recommends that the remaining funds
should be set aside for a possible second wave of COVID-19, or
ringfenced to help repatriate Britons who have settled abroad but
need to return due to the pandemic.
The Report calls on the FCO to remove the advice to crowdfund for
return flights. The FCO must proactively publicise that emergency
loans are available for times of crisis, additionally, the FCO
must offer extensions on the repayment of loans and some
flexibility to those genuinely struggling to repay them.
Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, , said:
“The coronavirus pandemic is the greatest challenge our
Government has faced in a generation. The FCO was confronted with
the uniquely complex task of repatriating the 1.3 million Britons
stranded abroad. This was a mammoth undertaking; one that the FCO
could not realistically have anticipated or fully prepared for.
We’ve heard numerous examples of individual FCO staff members who
went beyond what could possibly have been expected of them to
help those struggling to return home.
“But while most staff excelled, our inquiry also found clear
failings. For many of those Britons stranded, the advice they
received from the FCO was confusing, inconsistent and lacking in
compassion, at other times misleading and outdated, and, in the
worst cases, entirely absent.
“We’ve heard stories from many vulnerable individuals stuck in
difficult, and sometimes dangerous, circumstances. The lack of
accurate, helpful information meant many felt forgotten and as
though they had been left to fend for themselves. The FCO was at
times too slow to recognise and respond to issues with their
communication, and going forward must adopt a more agile and
adaptable approach.
“There are lingering questions around why the FCO did not employ
all of the resources it had at its fingertips. When other nations
were chartering planes home, the FCO continued to rely on
commercial airlines, in a decision that can only be explained as
cost-cutting. With a remaining £35 million available, the FCO
could have done more to help those stranded abroad, especially
the most vulnerable.
“Whilst providing the option of loans for flights may have helped
in the short term, many individuals and families unfortunate
enough to find themselves stuck overseas were in real difficulty.
Airlines were charging exorbitant ticket fees and many will
struggle to repay the loans they took out in the midst of the
crisis and with no other options.
“There are numerous stories of FCO staff members working
tirelessly, and under immense pressure, to help Britons abroad.
However, there are broader lessons that the FCO must learn and
adopt at an organisational level in order to avoid repeating past
mistakes.”
ENDS
Committee Membership is as follows:
Tom Tugendhat (Chair) (Tonbridge and Malling), Conservative;
(Rhondda), Labour; (Ogmore),
Labour; (Bermondsey
and Old Southwark), Labour; (Rutland and Melton), Conservative; (Glasgow South), Scottish National Party;
(Romford), Conservative; (Isle of Wight), Conservative; (Crawley), Conservative; (Southampton, Itchen), Conservative; (Blackley
and Broughton), Labour; (Leicester East), Labour.
