Recommendations & Conclusions
13 items
1
Conclusion
Third Report: Flying Home: The FCO’s co…
We recognise the hard work of many FCO staff and diplomats who worked around the clock and did an excellent job helping UK citizens get home. However, some posts performed more effectively than others and there are areas where efforts fell short.
Government response. The FAC report rightly highlights the significant challenges that COVID-19 presented and we are grateful that it acknowledges the efforts of staff around the world, noting that “many went above and beyond to deliver admirable service in extremely difficult circumstances” …
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
2
Recommendation
Third Report: Flying Home: The FCO’s co…
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 the lifelines that many needed were available but not used. …
Government response. The £75 million was a maximum limit, not a target. We do not accept the suggestion that unspent funds meant those in need did not receive the repatriation support that they needed. The scale of the initial challenge could never …
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
3
Conclusion
Third Report: Flying Home: The FCO’s co…
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 clearly made with cost saving in mind.
Government response. bring home British travellers. But, as noted above, while charters were the most prominent element of our response, it would not have been possible to return all British nationals travelling overseas at the start of the crisis unless we had …
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
4
Conclusion
Third Report: Flying Home: The FCO’s co…
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 vulnerable, those in the ‘high risk’ category and those who …
Government response. bring home British travellers. But, as noted above, while charters were the most prominent element of our response, it would not have been possible to return all British nationals travelling overseas at the start of the crisis unless we had …
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
5
Conclusion
Third Report: Flying Home: The FCO’s co…
The FCO advised UK citizens to make use of commercial flights, but they did not do enough to help people access those flights. The Government needs to offer support that factors in the reality that for many, just because commercial flights are running, it doesn’t necessarily mean that those flights …
Government response. bring home British travellers. But, as noted above, while charters were the most prominent element of our response, it would not have been possible to return all British nationals travelling overseas at the start of the crisis unless we had …
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
6
Recommendation
Third Report: Flying Home: The FCO’s co…
Whilst a relatively large financial package was developed for those suffering from COVID-19 related financial hardship in the UK, little was done to provide help for those UK citizens stuck abroad. The FCO had emergency loans available, but both take up and awareness were low. The FCO also made clear …
Government response. British nationals who are overseas and wish to return to the UK, but cannot afford travel costs and have no other options for getting funds to return home, may apply for an emergency loan from the government as a last …
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
7
Recommendation
Third Report: Flying Home: The FCO’s co…
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 this fact has not been adequately communicated to the public. …
Government response. British nationals who are overseas and wish to return to the UK, but cannot afford travel costs and have no other options for getting funds to return home, may apply for an emergency loan from the government as a last …
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
8
Recommendation
Third Report: Flying Home: The FCO’s co…
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 this was a slow process which left many unable to …
Government response. British nationals who are overseas and wish to return to the UK, but cannot afford travel costs and have no other options for getting funds to return home, may apply for an emergency repatriation loan from the government as a …
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
9
Conclusion
Third Report: Flying Home: The FCO’s co…
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 the internet. The FCO’s LOCATE database was discontinued due to …
Government response. As the report notes, we substantially expanded our telephony and communications capabilities over the course of the crisis. We are committed to maintaining and improving the resilience and flexibility of our communications systems and particularly our surge capacity. Specifically, we …
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
10
Conclusion
Third Report: Flying Home: The FCO’s co…
The move to using social media for mass communications was partially successful. However, accessing online information was particularly difficult for elderly people and those with certain disabilities. The FCO placed too much reliance on this generic advice and this approach disadvantaged those with medical conditions and those stuck in remote …
Government response. As discussed with the FAC during previous inquiries, the LOCATE system was discontinued in 2013 since only 1% of BNs were registered on the database, and it failed to provide an accurate picture of numbers of British nationals in crisis-affected …
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
11
Conclusion
Third Report: Flying Home: The FCO’s co…
The failure of the FCO to provide clear advice on what would happen on arrival to the UK caused many travellers a great deal of unnecessary anxiety. The FCO should give clear advice on the situation on the ground in the UK, this would go a long way to alleviate …
Government response. At early stages in the crisis the situation in many countries was confused and uncertain. It therefore took longer than we would have liked to be able to provide specific guidance on when and how to return to the UK, …
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
12
Conclusion
Third Report: Flying Home: The FCO’s co…
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 and support that they needed. The FCO should make it …
Government response. The FCDO is responsible for communicating necessary information about foreign travel, but we learnt from feedback early in the crisis that we needed to do more to support other government departments give information about what to expect on arrival in …
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
13
Conclusion
Third Report: Flying Home: The FCO’s co…
We know that many FCO staff went above and beyond to deliver admirable service in extremely difficult circumstances. However, there were areas where efforts fell short. By not adapting quickly to changing circumstances the FCO appeared out of touch with the needs of the general public. Too many UK citizens …
Government response. We agree that this is a priority and we are taking action accordingly. There are over 200 automated caller greeting answerphones (auto-attendants) deployed globally at FCDO posts with separate night and day mode messages. The day mode message provides the …
Foreign and Commonwealth Office