Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how his Department assesses the (a) service levels and (b) approach to consular assistance; and whether it has made a comparative assessment with other countries' consular support to determine best practice for providing consular assistance to UK nationals.

Our consular staff endeavour to give tailored support to British nationals overseas and their families in the UK, 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year. The assistance the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) can provide to British nationals abroad is set out in the publication: Support for British nationals abroad: A Guide (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/support-for-british-nationals-abroad-a-guide). The UK is a party to the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (VCCR), which is a multilateral agreement setting out how States will cooperate in the support of their nationals in distress overseas. The Government's ability to provide consular assistance remains at all times dependent on other states respecting the VCCR and must be done in accordance with the laws of that country. The FCDO undertakes regular reviews of our guidance, reviews closed complex cases and seeks to learn from specific feedback, all of which helps us continuously improve our processes and the services we provide to British people, and to develop the capability, expertise and professionalism of our staff. The FCDO is an active member of international consular forums and learns from, and shares experiences and best practice with, a range of other countries.