Covid-19: Repatriation of UK Nationals

Lord Campbell of Pittenweem Excerpts

Thursday 30th April 2020 Lords Chamber

[Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon]

In answer to the noble Baroness’s second question, the short answer is yes. This is demand led. For example, initially we had flights from Delhi, Mumbai and Goa. We commenced the programme in those cities for logistical reasons—to ensure that permissions were received for charter flights. A large proportion of British travellers are still seeking to return from Ahmedabad in Gujarat, India, and from Amritsar in the Punjab, and we will continue to operate flights. The portals were closed to ensure that we could clear the wait-list, which is still operational. I assure the noble Baroness that an email link to the high commission is now being offered to those who still wish to register but who did not meet the original deadline date for registering themselves on the database for returns. We have made a commitment to return those who wish to come back to the UK, and we will continue to meet that demand in India.

The noble Baroness, rightly, referenced Pakistan and Pakistan International Airlines. We have talked regularly to the chairman of PIA. She will know that I was directly involved in the case that she referred to. I have also been involved in discussions with the Pakistani, Indian and Bangladeshi authorities and at a local level— I have been ringing Chief Ministers to ensure that we get local permissions. Perhaps I may just put this in context. For every passenger who is returned from India, for example, the level of detail that we have to go into, because of the curfews that have been imposed, is such that we have to provide every local authority with details of every vehicle that is used to ensure that we can get British travellers to the airport on time to catch their flight. Our diplomats are not expert travel agents, but I can tell noble Lords that they have learned a great deal from the repatriation efforts. I am sure that all noble Lords will join me in commending them for their excellence—notwithstanding the challenges, which we are seeking to address—in what they have done and continue to deliver.

[Lord Campbell of Pittenweem (LD)]

I join in the appreciation of the efforts of our diplomats and other civil servants in the Government’s service. However, for the life of me, I cannot understand the Government’s reticence in acknowledging that they derived financial support from the Brussels scheme for repatriation. It makes one wonder whether there is some edict that nothing good should be said about the European Union. Since, as has already been pointed out, the first responsibility of any Government is to ensure the safety and protection of their citizens, why not redeploy some of the civil servants who are currently engaged in the increasingly fruitless pursuit of a deal with the European Union by 31 December to make sure that we bring all our citizens home as soon as possible?

[Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon]

On the noble Lord’s more substantial point, we are of course redeploying diplomats in all our posts, whether they work on the security side or from a Home Office or military perspective, wherever they are needed, and they are key to the repatriation effort in each country—I know that south Asia has been a key area of focus—and that has been the right thing to do. The noble Lord says that nothing positive is said about Europe. I ask him to reflect on the comments I made a few moments ago on how we will be co-hosting a conference with our European Union partners on the important issue of the global response to Covid. That underlines the commitment of the UK to work with international partners in different multilateral fora—and, yes, including with our European Union friends.