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
2 Recommendation Rejected
Third Report: Flying Home: The FCO…
The FCO was given £75 million to help UK citizens return home.
The FCO was given £75 million to help UK citizens return home. However, only £40 million of this was spent. While no one would advocate waste, these funds were allocated to rescue British citizens and the amount unspent suggests that … Read more
Government Response
The government rejected the premise that unspent funds meant insufficient support, stating they will find funds if needed for further repatriations. They also clarified that they have not supported the repatriation of British nationals who permanently reside overseas, except for acutely vulnerable individuals on planned flights.
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
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3 Conclusion Rejected
Third Report: Flying Home: The FCO…
The Government placed too much reliance on commercial carriers at the start of the crisis.
The Government placed too much reliance on commercial carriers at the start of the crisis. We were surprised that the Permanent Under-Secretary and the Minister gave different explanations for their Department’s decision to rely upon commercial flights. This decision was … Read more
Government Response
The government defends its reliance on commercial carriers, explaining that it was necessary due to overwhelming demand, to avoid undercutting airlines, and to leverage existing air links, rather than being solely driven by cost-saving.
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
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4 Conclusion Rejected
Third Report: Flying Home: The FCO…
Whilst reliance on the commercial system may have been the most cost effective and convenient...
Whilst reliance on the commercial system may have been the most cost effective and convenient way to help the majority of travellers return to the UK, for some people this was not a practical solution. This included travellers who were … Read more
Government Response
The government rejected the idea of parallel chartered repatriation flights for vulnerable travellers, explaining that a dual approach with commercial routes was necessary to handle demand, avoid undermining airlines, and that financial assistance was provided to those in need.
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