Press Release - Consular Services to British
Nationals
24 November 2005
The FCO has made significant improvements in the consular
service it provides, but further progress is needed to deliver a
service which meets the changing needs of Britons overseas,
according to a National Audit Office report. The main elements of
consular services are advising on overseas travel, issuing
passports abroad and assisting Britons in distress overseas,
including those affected by major crises such as natural disasters
or terrorist incidents.
Consular Services face unprecedented demands. More British
nationals are travelling and living abroad than ever before, (65
million overseas visits in 2004/05 compared to 54 million in
1999/2000). More than half of holidays are now organised
independently, without the overseas support of holiday operators.
And the changing nature of British society has led to the provision
of new services such as support for pilgrimages and work to protect
victims of forced marriages. Assistance to Britons in difficulty is
funded by a “consular premium” of £9.65 levied on the cost of all
adult passports, a level of funding which has been substantially
unchanged for several years. Against this background the FCO’s
invitation to the National Audit Office to review this vital
service fitted well with our own plans for coverage of FCO
activities.
The FCO’s advice to travellers is of a high quality. It covers
almost all countries and territories, draws on a wide range of
information sources and is regularly updated. But although more and
more travellers are accessing it, it is still consulted only by a
minority. There is further scope to reach and influence the
behaviour of travellers, particularly those who do not normally
consult the internet, who do not take out proper insurance, or who
do not research their destinations.
The report identifies the need for the FCO to remodel its passport
operation, which prints standard passports at over 100 locations,
far more than other comparable countries. It is an extremely quick
service, but also a relatively expensive one to customers, and
there are doubts that such a large network can be sustained in the
long term. Substantial investment would be needed to upgrade all
its Posts to produce the next generation of high technology, secure
biometric passports by 2009. The FCO has already responded to our
conclusions by initiating work to rationalise its passport business
by planning to reduce the number of posts which would print
passports, and to bring its eligibility tests on applications more
in line with those planned on applications for passports issued in
Britain by the UK Passport Service. This should lead to a more
cost-effective and more secure service which still meets the needs
of citizens. This will not affect issuing of emergency passports to
those with an urgent need to travel.
The FCO has recently taken a range of steps to improve the
professionalism and resourcing of its service to British nationals
in difficulties overseas. The overall standard of consular service
is generally high, but British nationals can experience a very
different level and nature of consular service depending on where
they are in the world. Some but not all of this can be explained by
the different conditions and the extent of British representation
in different regions. The National Audit Office report also
highlights the particular difficulties in achieving a smooth,
joined-up service when the FCO hands responsibility for customers
returning to the UK to other government departments and providers,
for example in medical repatriations and psychiatric cases. In
response to these challenges, the FCO is producing a Guide to
Consular Services to better define and publicise the services it
offers, and to promote steps customers can take to help themselves.
A Consular Review Team has been established to help address
staffing resource problems overseas and in London.
In recent years the FCO has dealt with an unprecedented series of
major crises including terrorist incidents and natural disasters,
and has learned lessons from each. It is seen by other countries’
consular operations as a world leader in the way it has innovated
in major crisis management. It has contingency plans in place at
all Posts, though repeated diversion of staff to help deal with
successive crises has delayed progress on ensuring that all plans
are fit for purpose and adequately tested. As with other consular
work, effective crisis response depends on working well with other
agencies in government and the voluntary sector, and the FCO is
developing useful new partnerships in this area.
Sir John Bourn commented today:
"The Foreign and Commonwealth Office provides consular
services that are increasingly professional and which are a vital
facility for British nationals travelling or living overseas. But
the FCO can do more to target its resources to meet priorities. Its
response to emergencies is internationally respected and gets
better and better over time. But as the FCO recognises there will
always be important lessons to be learned."
Notes for Editors
- Consular services are delivered by nearly 2000 staff, most of
whom are based at over 200 Embassies, High Commissions and
Consulates (commonly called “Posts”) worldwide. A core of 180 staff
based in London provide advice and support to those working
overseas, and deal with authorities and family members in the
United Kingdom. Although the FCO provides consular services
overseas, its work requires effective working links to other
governmental bodies. The total cost of providing consular services
in 2004-05 was nearly £80 million.
- In parallel with this report the NAO has worked with the FCO in
examining lessons to be learned from the response to the Indian
Ocean Tsunami, easily the biggest consular challenge that the
Department has faced. The report from this work is available on the
NAO website. In addition the NAO has commissioned the Zito Trust to
undertake a survey of British Nationals affected by the Tsunami, to
draw on their experience of the consular response.
- Press notices and reports are available from the date of
publication on the NAO website, which is at www.nao.org.uk. Hard
copies can be obtained from The Stationery Office on 0845 702
3474.
- The Comptroller and Auditor General, Sir John Bourn, is the
head of the National Audit Office which employs some 800 staff. He
and the NAO are totally independent of Government. He certifies the
accounts of all Government departments and a wide range of other
public sector bodies; and he has statutory authority to report to
Parliament on the economy, efficiency and effectiveness with which
departments and other bodies have used their resources.
Press Notice 61/05
All enquiries to Mark Strathdene, NAO Press Office: Tel: 020 7798
7183
Mobile: 07748 181 693