Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to improve the (1) procedures, and (2) policies, for UK citizens seeking assistance following a death abroad, in particular in respect of repatriation of deceased relatives, subsequent to the murder of Daniel and Amelie Linsey in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday 2020.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) consular staff are available to offer appropriate and tailored support to British nationals and their families, 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year. The support we can provide is set out in Support for British nationals abroad: A guide, available on GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/support-for-british-nationals-abroad-a-guide). The FCDO seek continuously to improve our processes and services by acting on feedback and reviewing what we do. The FCDO is an active member of international consular forums and learns from, and shares experiences and best practice with, a range of other countries.

The FCDO provides tailored support to families bereaved overseas, including providing information on local police and judicial procedures. Since 2015, the FCDO's Murder and Manslaughter Team have provided dedicated tailored support to families bereaved through homicide abroad. This includes working closely with a range of other organisations such as police Family Liaison Officers where these are deployed, and the Homicide Service in England and Wales, to help families access specialist services. A Memorandum of Understanding between the FCDO, National Police Chiefs Council, and the Chief Coroner of England and Wales has been updated and was published on GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/murder-manslaughter-and-infanticide-of-british-nationals-abroad--2) in September 2020, setting out how each organisation coordinates delivery of their respective roles and responsibilities.