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
4 results
Clear
7 Recommendation Not Addressed
Third Report: Flying Home: The FCO…
Given the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people may need to seek extensions...
Given the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people may need to seek extensions to the FCO’s travel loans. The FCO has advised that there may be some flexibility in repayment timetables for those genuinely committed to repaying, but … Read more
Government Response
The government describes the availability and publicity of emergency repatriation loans, and confirms the removal of advice to seek crowdfunding. However, it does not directly commit to offering loan extensions for those in financial difficulty or explicitly communicate greater flexibility in repayment terms.
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
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8 Recommendation Not Addressed
Third Report: Flying Home: The FCO…
There were real communication problems, particularly early on in the crisis–many people’s calls were not...
There were real communication problems, particularly early on in the crisis–many people’s calls were not answered and many were left waiting on the phone for long periods of time. The FCO successfully scaled up their operation during the crisis, but … Read more
Government Response
The government's response details emergency repatriation and subsistence loans, including repayment terms and debt management, but does not address the committee's recommendation to develop contingency plans for scaling up communication or exploring new platforms like WhatsApp Business.
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
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9 Recommendation Not Addressed
Third Report: Flying Home: The FCO…
The FCO may have been able to communicate more effectively and proactively had it established...
The FCO may have been able to communicate more effectively and proactively had it established a logging system to record the location and contact details of UK citizens abroad. This could have proved particularly helpful for those without access to … Read more
Government Response
The government did not address the recommendation to look into establishing a logging system for UK citizens abroad, instead detailing improvements to their communication systems, including increased staffing, training, and expanded channels like webforms and social media.
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
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12 Recommendation Not Addressed
Third Report: Flying Home: The FCO…
Automated answerphone messages told travellers around the world that our embassies and consulates were closed.
Automated answerphone messages told travellers around the world that our embassies and consulates were closed. It is extraordinary that the FCO had no control over the answerphone messages of its own embassies. This oversight prevented many from accessing the advice … Read more
Government Response
The government discusses general communication efforts for foreign travel and information on arrival in the UK, but does not address the specific recommendation about centrally controlling embassy answerphone messages.
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