Coronavirus: FCDO response

Foreign Affairs Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 12 Mar 2020 Closed: 23 Oct 2020 Parliament page
8 Recommendations
5 Conclusions
2 Reports
3 Oral sessions
5 Letters
3 Events
Activity timeline 12 events
10 Feb
2021
Correspondence
23 Oct
2020
Report published
28 Jul
2020
Report published
22 Jul
2020
Correspondence
30 Jun
2020
Oral evidence
16 Jun
2020
Report published
23 Apr
2020
Correspondence
21 Apr
2020
Oral evidence
21 Apr
2020
Correspondence
6 Apr
2020
Report published
30 Mar
2020
Correspondence
17 Mar
2020
Oral evidence
Oral evidence sessions 3 sessions
30 Jun 2020
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Foreign Affairs Committee
Jennifer Anderson · Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Nigel Adams Simon Manley · Foreign and Commonwealth Office
21 Apr 2020
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Coronavirus: FCO response
Andrew Sanderson · Foreign and Commonwealth Office Menna Rawlings · Foreign and Commonwealth Office Sir Simon McDonald · Foreign and Commonwealth Office
17 Mar 2020
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Coronavirus: FCO response
Professor David R Harper CBE · Chatham House
Recommendations & Conclusions
3 results
Clear
6 Recommendation Accepted
Third Report: Flying Home: The FCO…
Whilst a relatively large financial package was developed for those suffering from COVID-19 related financial...
Whilst a relatively large financial package was developed for those suffering from COVID-19 related financial hardship in the UK, little was done to provide help for those UK citizens stuck abroad. The FCO had emergency loans available, but both take … Read more
Government Response
The government agreed to remove crowdfunding advice, stating that the reference has been removed from all guidance. They also confirmed that the availability of repatriation loans was widely publicized on gov.uk, social media, and through marketing.
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
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11 Recommendation Accepted
Third Report: Flying Home: The FCO…
The failure of the FCO to provide clear advice on what would happen on arrival...
The failure of the FCO to provide clear advice on what would happen on arrival to the UK caused many travellers a great deal of unnecessary anxiety. The FCO should give clear advice on the situation on the ground in … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledges initial difficulties but states it already provides extensive advice and individualised support through social media, general travel advice pages, and consular staff, which address the concerns of returning travellers.
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
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13 Conclusion Accepted
Third Report: Flying Home: The FCO…
We know that many FCO staff went above and beyond to deliver admirable service in...
We know that many FCO staff went above and beyond to deliver admirable service in extremely difficult circumstances. However, there were areas where efforts fell short. By not adapting quickly to changing circumstances the FCO appeared out of touch with … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledged past shortcomings in adapting quickly, committing to implement a 'pre-agreed' process with its telephony supplier by the end of October 2020 for a swifter response in future emergencies, and is investigating cloud-based telephony solutions.
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
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Government Response AI assessment · 13 of 8 classified
Accepted 3
Accepted in Part 2
Acknowledged 1
Not Addressed 4
Rejected 3
Total 8 recs + 5 conclusions
Correspondence 5 letters
10 Feb 2021 Correspondence with the Foreign Secretary on the Committee’s inquiry into "Flying Home: The FCO’s consular response to the COVID-19 pandemic", dated 03/02/2021 and 14/01/2021
Parliament page
22 Jul 2020 Correspondence from Nigel Adams, Minister of State, regarding FCO consular response to COVID-19, dated 16/7/2020
Parliament page
23 Apr 2020 Correspondence from Permanent Under-Secretary of State, FCO, on Diplomatic Immunity, dated 23/04/2020
Parliament page
21 Apr 2020 Correspondence from Permanent Under-Secretary of State, FCO, on the EU Ventilator Procurement Scheme, dated 21/04/2020
Parliament page
30 Mar 2020 Correspondence to the Foreign Secretary regarding the repatriation of UK Citizens during the Covid-19 pandemic, dated 27/03/2020
Parliament page