Asked by: Hannah Bardell (Scottish National Party - Livingston)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will place in the Library a copy of the internal guidance issued to staff when assessing whether people need consular assistance.
Answered by Nigel Adams
I was pleased to meet with the Hon Lady on 19th October to discuss the FCDO's consular work.
As part of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO) commitment to transparency, details of FCDO's consular assistance are available online on http://www.gov.uk in our publication entitled "Support for British Nationals Abroad: A Guide". We consider that there is a strong public interest in protecting the space our staff have to consider and discuss options when making decisions on individual cases, particularly when offering assistance in difficult and distressing circumstances. We consider that their ability to do this, and our overall ability to ensure that we provide a tailored service to those most in need of our help, is likely to be negatively impacted by placing our internal guidance in the Library, which would not be in the public interest.
Asked by: Hannah Bardell (Scottish National Party - Livingston)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of treating dual nationals as it does people with non-dual nationality status for the purposes of consular support.
Answered by Nigel Adams
We are able to provide full consular support to dual British nationals in a third country (a country of which they are not a national). We would not normally provide consular support to dual British nationals in the country of their other nationality, or get involved in dealings between the individual and the authorities of that state. We may make an exception to this rule if, depending on the circumstances of the case, we consider that the individual is vulnerable and we have humanitarian concerns, for example cases involving a murder or manslaughter, children, forced marriage or an offence which carries the death penalty. However, the help we can provide will depend on the circumstances and the state of the British national's other nationality agreeing to our help.
Asked by: Hannah Bardell (Scottish National Party - Livingston)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals on the codification of the provision of consular services.
Answered by Nigel Adams
I was pleased to meet with the Honourable Lady on 19th October to discuss the FCDO's consular work.
There are no plans to bring forward legislative proposals to make consular assistance a legal right. Even if a right to assistance were to be enshrined in UK law, our ability to assist British nationals abroad would continue to remain dependent on co-operation from host countries and local laws. While there is no duty in international or domestic law to provide consular assistance, we strive to provide the right tailored assistance to those who need our help, doing more for those who most need our help.
Asked by: Hannah Bardell (Scottish National Party - Livingston)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has plans to ensure joint working between his Department and the Ministry of Justice on complex consular cases involving suspicious deaths, homicide and incarceration overseas similar to the Forced Marriage Unit collaboration between his Department and the Home Office.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) works closely with other departments, including the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), to provide consular assistance to British nationals overseas. The FCDO and MoJ work collaboratively in supporting victims bereaved by suspicious death and homicides abroad through our funded partner Victim Support Homicide Service. To support British nationals detained overseas and their families, the FCDO works closely with the NGOs Prisoners Abroad, the Death Penalty Project and Reprieve.
Asked by: Hannah Bardell (Scottish National Party - Livingston)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether as part of the integrated review of foreign policy, defence, security and development he has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of the findings of the 2019 All-party Parliamentary Group on Deaths Abroad report entitled Why UK families deserve better and what can be done.
Answered by Nigel Adams
As discussed during the meeting I held with the Honourable Lady on 19th October, we have carefully considered the feedback in the APPG's report and will be pleased to issue a response in the coming weeks. Consular assistance continues to be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week from anywhere in the world, by phone, online and via social media. We will continue our focus on those British nationals overseas who are the most vulnerable, training expert frontline staff to provide assistance in country and offering a wider choice of digital services where these can be provided more effectively online.
Asked by: Hannah Bardell (Scottish National Party - Livingston)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what process his Department undertakes to assess the vulnerability of families when assessing their need for consular assistance.
Answered by Nigel Adams
As I discussed with the Honourable Lady on 19th October, consular staff assess the vulnerability of a British national on a case-by-case basis, to provide a tailored level of assistance to the individual. This assessment will also take into account any family members, including children, with whom the British national may be travelling.
Asked by: Hannah Bardell (Scottish National Party - Livingston)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department's mystery shopper exercises to test its staff during the covid-19 pandemic is in line with international best practice on how to train consular staff.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The FCDO provides consular staff with extensive training to ensure they respond to British people in an empathetic and knowledgeable manner. We use feedback gathered by our dedicated Insight Team, shadowing, skills practice, and 'mystery shopping' to inform and continually develop the skills and knowledge of our staff. While there is no definitive international best practice on how to train consular staff, the UK is an active member of international consular forums and learns from, and shares experiences and practice with, a range of other countries including on the learning and development of consular staff.
Asked by: Hannah Bardell (Scottish National Party - Livingston)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what criteria his Department applies to assess the needs of people who require consular assistance.
Answered by Nigel Adams
As I discussed with the Honourable Lady on 19th October, the level and type of assistance and advice we offer is tailored to the individual circumstances of each person. Our staff will make an assessment of the vulnerability of a British national and the needs they have, based on who they are, where they are, and their situation. We aim to assess their needs promptly and provide effective assistance based on their individual circumstances and local conditions, making every effort to contact vulnerable British nationals within 24 hours of being notified of their situation.
Asked by: Hannah Bardell (Scottish National Party - Livingston)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, who was interviewed at his Department as part of the RAND Corporation report, Consular services to citizens abroad: Insights from an international comparative study, published November 2019.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The FCDO can confirm that consular officials fully responded to the RAND survey in writing in the interests of transparency.
Asked by: Hannah Bardell (Scottish National Party - Livingston)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when the UK last compared the effectiveness of its consular assistance with that provided by other countries.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The FCDO is an active member of international consular forums and learns from, and shares experiences and practice with, a range of other countries.