Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what method his Department uses to assess the vulnerability of citizens requesting consular assistance; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of using a matrix approach as used by the Australian Government for that purpose.

I was pleased to meet with the Hon Lady on 19th October to discuss the FCDO's consular work. Our consular staff provide tailored assistance and advice to British nationals according to the individual circumstances of each person based on the needs they have, based on who they are, where they are, and their situation. Our staff will make an assessment of the vulnerability of a British national, aiming to assess their needs promptly, making every effort to contact vulnerable British nationals within 24 hours of being notified of their situation.