Source · Select Committees · Foreign Affairs Committee
Recommendation 13
13
Accepted
We know that many FCO staff went above and beyond to deliver admirable service in...
Conclusion
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 were not provided with the support that they should reasonably expect to receive. (Paragraph 34) 18 Flying Home: The FCO’s consular response to the COVID-19 pandemic
Government response summary AI-generated
The government acknowledged past shortcomings in adapting quickly, committing to implement a 'pre-agreed' process with its telephony supplier by the end of October 2020 for a swifter response in future emergencies, and is investigating cloud-based telephony solutions.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government · verbatim extract
Accepted
numbers of British travellers that needed to return to the UK. The report rightly notes that the Government should consider responding faster in future however it does not fully represent how much the Government did do, and how quickly. As noted above, the report does not acknowledge that the FCDO ran repatriation flights from China in January and February, worked with cruise companies to bring back passengers in February and March, and was responding to the crisis in Peru at the same time as others, such as Germany. These operations brought back several thousand British nationals. airlines flying and routes open. As noted above, attempting to do this mostly through charters or by charters alone would have required the Government to organise thousands of flights. Instead we worked at pace with airlines to bring people back.
Read the full response on Parliament ↗