Third Report: Flying Home: The FCO’s consular response to the COVID-19 pandemic

Select Committee
Foreign Affairs Committee HC 643 28 July 2020
Report Status Government responded
Conclusions & Recommendations 13 items (8 recs)
Source View on Parliament website
Government Response (AI assessment · 13 of 13 classified)
Accepted 3
Accepted in Part 2
Acknowledged 1
Not Addressed 4
Rejected 3
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
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Recommendations & Conclusions

3 results
2 Recommendation Rejected
Para 11
The FCO was given £75 million to help UK citizens return home.
Recommendation
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 Summary
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
Para 12
The Government placed too much reliance on commercial carriers at the start of the crisis.
Conclusion
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 Summary
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
Para 13
Whilst reliance on the commercial system may have been the most cost effective and convenient...
Conclusion
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 Summary
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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