Supplementary memorandum from the Foreign
and Commonwealth Office
TRAVEL ADVICE
1. When I gave evidence to the Foreign Affairs
Committee on Tuesday 4 February, I said I would write about various
issues which arose during the session. I very much welcomed the
opportunity to discuss these issues with the Committee and to
respond to their questions. I am grateful for the support of the
Committee in the important work of the Office in this area and
look forward to the Committee's future conclusions and recommendations
on Travel Advice and related issues.
Rapid Deployment Teams (RDTs): medical support
and supplies
2. The Committee asked whether Rapid Deployment
Teams would include medical officers. We do have the option of
including a medical officer in the team, with the task of making
an assessment of the care available locally following a mass incident.
But this would be an unusual step. The FCO already has extensive
knowledge of the level of medical facilities in less-developed
countries. This will be a starting point in any assessment of
needs following a mass casualty incident. Posts are furthermore
able to draw on local medical knowledge, and on local consular
co-operation networks with allies.
3. Where it became clear that specialist
assessment and triage skills were required, where none could be
provided locally, and where Ministers decided the UK should play
a lead role, we would aim to contract the services of experts
made available world-wide by the same companies which provide
air ambulances.
4. If local medical services were overwhelmed
by a mass casualty incident, the FCO's aim would be to secure
urgent evacuation of British casualties to the nearest hospitals
in the region. In most instances this would best be done by commercial
air ambulances. We would expect insurance policies held by the
victims to cover the cost. In exceptional circumstances such as
the terrorist attack in Bali, and where victims were not adequately
insured, it is open to Ministers to use public funds to cover
these and similar costs. As an alternative to commercial means,
and as at Bali with the Australian Government, we could take advantage
of mutual consular co-operation with other countries in order
to secure the rapid evacuation of our casualties. There would
be situations in which the UK found itself taking the lead on
behalf of others. In certain circumstances, the MOD may be able
to offer assistance with evacuations. DFID may also be able to
help by drawing on existing emergency programmes in the region
concerned, in co-operation with NGOs.
5. The Committee also asked about the storage
of medicines at our overseas Posts for use by the public in an
emergency. We do not routinely keep medicines at Post for anyone
other than FCO staff and dependants. Stockpiling supplies around
the world in the quantities required for a major emergency would
be expensive and pose practical difficulties. Apart from the problem
of identifying in advance which items should be stocked and the
quantities likely to be needed, special storage facilities would
be required in certain climatic conditions. Many of the items
would have limited shelf lives. Others might not be appropriate
to the specific crisis on the day. The need for permits to import
medical drugs would delay matters. The FCO's preferred approach
is to fly in medical supplies with the trained personnel who would
be using them, in the light of the needs assessment made immediately
following an incident, and in most cases as part of a commercial
contract with the aeromed company concerned.
Co-operation with the travel trade
6. The Committee asked whether it would
be possible to make it a requirement, statutory or by informal
agreement, for travel agents to include reference to the FCO Travel
Advice when issuing tickets. Some of our partners in the Travel
industry already include reference on a voluntary basis; and those
firms which have signed up to the Know Before You Go campaign
are committed to working towards this. But the FCO remains cautious
of making it a legal requirement, since FCO Travel Advice remains
advice, on the basis of which travellers and residents make up
their own minds. There is the question too of enforcing such a
requirement when holidays may be sold on the Internet from abroad,
and the question of the time gap between the sale of the holiday
(often many months ahead) and the advice in force at the time
of travel. The FCO believes the customer would best be served
by encouraging the responsible approach by the travel industry
around which the Know Before You Go campaign is built.
Outsourcing of caller answering services
7. The Committee was interested in plans
to outsource some caller answering services offered by the Consular
Division, and we promised further details. Consular Division has
an Emergency Unit which can handle up to ten callers at any time.
If it becomes apparent that the number of callers is outstripping
the number of lines, we look immediately to the alternatives.
Until now, Scotland Yard have taken over call-handling in all
situations where our lines cannot cope. But in late 2002 they
notified the FCO that, in future, they would only take on calls
relating to incidents where a crime had been committed. So any
future terrorist incident would still be channelled to Scotland
Yard; but a consular crisis where no crime was evident would need
separate call-handling facilities. It is to cover this eventuality
that we are in the midst of a tender process. The successful bidder
will be on four hours' notice to take on calls. We would provide
them with a standard script, and access to the FCO Travel Advice
website. We are examining the feasibility of creating a web-based
database to allow the call-centre staff to input simple details
relating to, say, a missing relative. This would allow the trained
consular staff in the FCO to tackle the more important and potentially
difficult calls which go beyond the simple provision and recording
of information. We are therefore confident that the outsourcing
of part of this Consular service will not compromise the service
to the public. Indeed, by freeing up consular staff from replying
to routine queries, we aim to improve the service to the public.
We will, of course, monitor carefully the service provided by
whoever wins the contract.
Mauritius
8. The Committee expressed interest in our
travel advice on Mauritius. Our advice for Mauritius was revised
in November 2002 because the US Embassy had received specific
warnings about possible attacks in churches or other public places
in Mauritius, and had put out a local warning to their nationals.
Our High Commission in Port Louis took the warnings seriously.
The Mauritian Foreign Minister wrote to the Foreign Secretary
on 19 November to say that he did not think we could justify including
Mauritius among "risky" tourist destinations. The Foreign
Secretary replied on 29 November (copy attached—Annex A)
that we needed to make clear to our nationals that the dangers
of terrorism are world-wide: we would be failing in our duty if
we did not warn them. Our travel advice was again amended in January
2003: following the US decision to drop the specific warning,
we have done likewise.
Permanent Secretary
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
March 2003
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