Third Report: Flying Home: The FCO’s consular response to the COVID-19 pandemic
Select Committee
Foreign Affairs Committee
HC 643
28 July 2020
Government response
Seventh Special Report: Flying Home: The FCO’s consular response to the COVID-19 pandemic: Government Response to the Committee’s Third Report · published 23 Oct 2020
Recommendations & Conclusions
4 results
7
Recommendation
Not Addressed
Given the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people may need to seek extensions...
Recommendation
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 …
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Government Response Summary
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
Para 29
There were real communication problems, particularly early on in the crisis–many people’s calls were not...
Recommendation
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 …
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Government Response Summary
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
The FCO may have been able to communicate more effectively and proactively had it established...
Recommendation
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 …
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Government Response Summary
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
Para 33
Automated answerphone messages told travellers around the world that our embassies and consulates were closed.
Recommendation
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 …
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Government Response Summary
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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