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Consular ServicesAnnual Report 2008/09

Delivering high quality support to British Nationals abroad, in normal times and in crises

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CONSULAR SERVICES ANNUAL REPORT 2008/09

FOREWORD BY CHRIS BRYANT MP Minister for Consular Services

The FCO’s consular service helps British Nationals in some of the most complexand often fragile of situations abroad.

Over the last financial year, the consular service provided assistance to almost35,000 British nationals abroad, and dealt with close to 2.1 million assistanceenquiries. They issued almost 11,000 emergency passports to people whosepassport had been lost or stolen, responded to nearly 7,000 cases where Britshad been detained, and provided assistance on just under 200 new parentalchild abduction cases. The consular service’s Rapid Deployment Teams weredeployed 11 times to assist our nationals caught up in global crises, from theearthquake in China to the terrorist attacks in Mumbai.

The consular service is funded by a fee levied on every passport. For around £1.50 a year, every Britishpassport holder has at their disposal a global network of professionals who often provide the first lineof support when things go wrong. More information about the services available can be found atfco.gov.uk/travel.

The consular service is funded by the public and is rightly accountable to the public. This AnnualReport, which includes an assessment of performance against measureable service targets, is animportant part of that accountability.

Whether they are successful is ultimately for you to judge. The consular service seeks constantfeedback and is looking to improve its mechanisms for doing so. You can send your views to:[email protected]

Chris Bryant MPParliamentary Under Secretary of StateForeign and Commonwealth Office


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INTRODUCTIONThe 2008/09 financial yearwas a major year ofactivity for the FCO’sconsular operation.

Our staff assisted Britishnationals caught up in theearthquake in China, theterrorist attacks in Mumbai,and the airport emergencyin Bangkok. 380,000

people required British passports from Embassies andConsulates across the world. Numerous British visitorsrelied on the commitment and planning of consularstaff for an enjoyable and trouble free Olympics andParalympics in Beijing. Hundreds of British nationalsrequired assistance from our staff when forced intomarriage against their will. And travellers, visitingand exploring every corner of the world, relied on ourtravel advice being up-to-date and relevant. In eachof these cases, and many more, the provision of aneffective service to our nationals overseas was ourover-riding priority.

Alongside delivering our consular services asprofessionally as possible, we have continued to seekout efficiencies and savings. We plan to save £4.3mover the current financial year (2009/10) through therationalisation of our overseas passport operation.Our consular assistance is funded through a £15Consular Premium charged on all passportapplications. This places us in a unique financialposition, with a clear responsibility to British passportholders to deliver value-for-money services.

This report sets out our assessment of how we haveperformed over the last year – measured againstchallenging targets. We have also set out ourfinancial position, including our income andexpenditure, past, current and forecast.

Over the last year we have made considerableimprovements to our management information, andhence our ability to assess our performance objectivelyand transparently. This helps ensure we are accountableto passport holders and stakeholders, while also ableto identify best practice and address problems.

The last year has seen the successful delivery of anumber of projects through the change programmeswe established to professionalise consular services.The Global Response Centre was launched on 1 April2009 to provide consistent and high-quality support24/7 to British nationals all over the world. Therationalisation of the Europe, North America and

Australasia passport networks began. The LegalisationOffice moved to two new sites better designed toserve its customers. The second stage of the rollout ofour Consular Regional Director network wascompleted, significantly boosting our ability tomanage our resources globally. The rollout of the on-line registration system for British nationals travellingand living overseas, LOCATE, was completed. Andcontracts were signed to introduce one of the world’smost sophisticated emergency travel documents tohelp our nationals return home if their passport is lostor stolen. The professionalism of our training andcommunications teams, who have been at the heart ofour change agenda, was recognised through severalnational awards over the year.

Significantly for our future, the FCO and the HomeOffice signed a Memorandum of Understanding tointegrate the domestic and overseas passportnetworks over coming years. This will leverage neweconomies of scale and technologies for the UK’soverseas passport customers.

We aim to provide the services our nationals need,where and when they need them, as professionallyand cost-effectively as possible. We are nowpreparing our next three-year strategy to help usreach this goal. The current strategy focuses onprofessionalising our staff and processes. The nextstrategy, from 2010-13, will have the changing needsof our changing customer base – as well as the currenteconomic realities – as its foundation. In the processwe are surveying our customers, working with theInstitute of Public Policy Research, and The CentralOffice of Information, consulting our stakeholders inthe travel industry and civil society, and involving ourfront-line staff.

The consular service is committed to reform andchange, and has delivered major improvements in thelast year. Challenges remain: tailoring our operationto a period of declining income, rooting outinefficiencies, delivering major business changeparticularly in the passport operation withoutdisrupting service, putting our resources where ourcustomers are. While we are proud of ourachievements, we are not complacent. There is stillmuch we can do better. That remains our goal.

Julian BraithwaiteDirector of Consular ServicesForeign and Commonwealth Office


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OUR CORE SERVICESASSISTANCEIn 2008/09, we dealt with nearly 2.1 million consularassistance enquiries across the world. We providedsupport in over 3,100 hospitalisations, and dealt withover 5,500 deaths and nearly 7,000 detentions.Overall, we responded to 34,443 requests forassistance. The ten Countries below accounted forapproximately two thirds of all requests for assistancearound the world:

Spain, USA, France, Portugal, Thailand, Greece,Germany, Australia, United Arab Emirates, Turkey.

We have supported British nationals in all nature ofoverseas assistance. This has included forced marriage,child abduction and death penalty cases. The scale ofthe issues is clear: in April 2009, we were aware of justunder 2,500 British nationals detained overseas, ofwhom 26 were on death row or facing chargesattracting the death penalty. In the last year, our jointFCO/Home Office Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) received1,200 reportings of possible forced marriage. And ourChild Abduction Unit provided assistance on 196 newparental child abduction cases. It also continued toprovide help on cases opened in previous years.

Despite the challenges, we have made progress indealing with all three types of cases. The sentence of aBritish national facing the death penalty in Vietnamwas commuted to life imprisonment, and anotherBritish national on death row in Malaysia was releasedafter his conviction was overturned. The FMU dealtwith hundreds of consular assistance cases, ofteninvolving direct action overseas and rescues, and manycases where a victim was being forced to sponsor avisa against their will. The FCO also agreed to operatethe Hague Convention with three recent signatorycountries, which will help secure the return of childrentaken overseas by one parent without the agreementof the other.

SUPPORT IN CRISESA consular crisis can take many forms. Examplesinclude a mass casualty/fatality incident, deteriorationin law and order, or a significant incident involvingBritish nationals.

Over the last year, we activated our crisis responsemechanisms on 12 occasions. This included sendingRapid Deployment Teams (RDTs) based in London andHong Kong to assist during crises in China(earthquake), Georgia/Armenia (Russian intervention),Cuba (Hurricane Ike), India (Mumbai terrorist attacks)and Thailand (civil unrest).

Specifically in Georgia, as the security situationdeteriorated, RDTs were sent from London to Tbilisiand Yerevan. Travel advice was amended frequentlythroughout the crisis to keep British nationals abreastof developments. 48 eligible persons (British, EU,Commonwealth) benefitted from an assisteddeparture by bus from Tbilisi to Yerevan. These buseswere met in Yerevan by an RDT who offered assistancewith finding accommodation and onward travel. Weliaised closely with EU and Colloque (Australia,Canada, New Zealand, US) partners throughout thecrisis. 20 eligible persons benefitted from assisteddeparture organised by the French and GermanMinistry of Foreign Affairs.

In addition to RDTs, crisis assets at our disposal includeEmergency Response Teams (ERTs), Regional ResilienceNetworks (RRNs) and Consular staff working in theFCO’s dedicated Crisis Centre.

RDTs consist of specialist trained crisis responsevolunteers who deploy from either London, Asia-Pacific region or the US to assist staff in country tooffer consular assistance to British nationals. Thereare currently 160 trained RDT members worldwide.Depending on the needs of the crisis an RDT candeploy with members of the Red Cross, InternationalSOS and police Disaster Victim Identification staff asrequired. ERTs are specialist trained FCO volunteerswho respond to telephone calls from the public in a

crisis. They log details ofpotentially affected Britishnationals on the FCOregistration system, LOCATE.There are currently 120 trainedERT members.

Over the last year, we haveprofessionalised our crisispreparedness. For example, theuse of trigger matrices in ourPosts’ contingency plans is nowmandatory for all countrieswhere there is a high or mediumrisk of a development that maylead to the evacuation of British

New Assistance Cases - 2008/09

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ses Rape & sexual assult

Psychiatric Missing personsHospitalisationForced marriageDetentionDeathChild IssuesAbductionEmergency Passports

3500

3000

2500

2000

1500

1000

500

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AprilM

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August

Septe

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Otober

Novem

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Decem

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nationals. This enables posts and London to betteridentify and prepare for periods of instability.Specifically, the key role of a triggers matrix is to showclearly and concisely the most likely political, economicand security-related developments in a country andhow they are likely to impact on British nationalstravelling or living there. Among the scenariosincluded will be those that, in the worst case, couldnecessitate the evacuation or departure of Britishnationals from a country. Liaison with the Ministry ofDefence is therefore very important and an alreadythriving relationship has been further strengthenedthrough joint involvement in evacuation exercises.

ADVICE AND INFORMATIONWe helped British nationals help themselves via ouronline Travel Advice for 220 countries and territories.The website received more than 4.8 million hits in2008/09, and we updated advice almost 4,000 times.Media coverage of the Know Before You Go campaignreached 64% of all UK adults on average 29 times. Thecampaign now has almost 300 partners who havehelped it deliver travel safety messages to 29 millionBritish nationals.

Each year we distribute over 9 million leaflets to thepublic. Last year’s in-resort campaign 'Don't Be ADick' won an Advertising Industry Communicationsaward and a Foreign Secretary's award.

The external communications strategy has been set forthe next year and is based on reaching those groupsof travellers who cause disproportionate numbers ofconsular cases with targeted, tailored messages. Therewill be a special focus on the Football World Cup inSouth Africa, those visiting friends and family and theBritish Minority Ethnic community, with two new TVand one new radio adverts coming online.

PASSPORTSIn 2008/09 we issued 372,106 passports overseas from120 of our overseas Posts. The majority of passportsissued overseas are concentrated in ten Posts:Canberra, Paris, Hong Kong, Madrid, Pretoria,Wellington, Dusseldorf, Dubai, Ottawa andWashington, which since November 2008 issues fullvalidity passports to British Citizens resident or visitingthe United States and Canada. Our top ten passportissuing posts issued 267,910 in 2008/09, accounting forover two thirds (71%) of all passports issued across ouroverseas network.

Since the peak in 2003/04 at around 453,000, thenumber of passports issued by the FCO overseas hasdropped. However, in recent years there appears to bea ‘levelling out’ of passport demand.

Beneath the headline figure of 372,106 passportsissued globally in 2008-09, there is a disparity amongstdifferent regions. Passport demand in North Americahas fallen, whereas passport demand has risen slightlyin Europe (after consecutive drops in the past twoyears) and risen markedly in Australasia, Asia-Pacificand the Middle East. In previous years, passportdemand in Hong Kong was on a continuous steepdownward decline. 2008-09 is no different to previousyears. Passport demand is still falling. Hong Kongissued 24,059 passports in 2008-09, a fall of 17%compared to the previous year.

In the Middle East, it is clear that the burgeoningbusiness climate and the fact that many of the region’scities are becoming major transport hubs, is turningthe Middle East and Gulf area into a major passportmarket.

The graph below sets out the number of passports wehave issued overseas in the last year. There is aseparate graph in the “Our Financial Position” chapterwhich highlights the total number of passports issued,both in the UK and overseas.

OTHER DOCUMENTARYSERVICESWe issued more than 370,000 legalisation documentsat our Legalisation Office in the UK. After deciding inOctober 2007 to move our Legalisation Office out ofFCO main buildings, we opened on 8th August 2008our new Legalisation Office in Milton Keynes, servingmembers of the public and handling all postalapplications. As a result of the move, we have beenable to improve the service we provide to ourcustomers by reducing the business targets forhandling postal applications from 10 working days to24 hours. We have also opened a satellite LegalisationOffice at Centre Point, central London, for handlingbusiness customers within 2 hours.

Passport Issued Overseas - 2008/09

Oceania 83,376 23%

Africa41,232 11%

Americas &Caribbean

71,614 19%

Europe105,416

28%

Asia 70,47119%

AfricaAmericas & CaribbeanEuropeAsiaOceania


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OUR STAFFOver 2,000 FCO staff take part in consular work inLondon and across the world. The vast majority of ourfull-time consular staff overseas are employed locally,bringing their local skills, knowledge and contacts tobear for the benefit of British nationals.

Over the last year, the number of UK-based FCO staffinvolved in consular work continued to fall from 1025in 2007-8 to 998 in 2008-9, while the number of locallyhired FCO staff increased from 1057 to 1266. Thisreflects the fact that we can improve the service weprovide British nationals overseas while reducing thecost by hiring professionals locally rather than sendingthem out from the UK. We also have a network of249 Honorary Consuls providing further support toBritish nationals, as well as extensive networks ofconsular assistants and wardens, many of themvolunteers.

We ensure that all consular staff receive relevanttraining from a dedicated team of qualified consulartrainers. This ensures that staff across the world areable to provide the same consistent, high-quality andprofessional service to British nationals wherever theyare. We extend this training requirement to ourHonorary Consuls and consular duty officers (non-consular officers undertaking consular work overseasduring out-of-hours periods). Training is modular, andbased on pass-fail examinations.

Every year, the FCO as a whole conducts a survey ofthe views of its staff. The results for consular staffwere encouraging. 90% said that they ‘were doingsomething worthwhile’, while 92% said that they‘were happy to put in the extra effort when required’.And levels of commitment and engagement wereequally positive – 77% of staff feeling ‘engaged.’ Thiscompares favourably with the rest of the FCO, andreflects considerably higher levels of engagement thanin comparable public or private sector organisations.The survey also highlighted a number of challenges:The continuing barriers between UK and locallyemployed FCO staff; the quality of line management;and issues surrounding bullying and harassment.

The Consular service is a people business in which ourpeople are our greatest asset. We realise that in orderto deliver the quality service we want to, supportingour staff and getting the most from them is vital. Thesurvey illustrates a solid base of committed, motivatedand talented staff. Yet it also illustrates challengeswhich managers are now focused on addressing andsolving in the year ahead.

Regional numbers of full time equivalent Consular staff employed overseas


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OUR FINANCIALPOSITIONFCO consular services are funded from fees notgeneral taxation.

Our income is derived from the Consular Premiumlevied on all passport applications (which fundsconsular assistance overseas); the fees we charge forissuing passports overseas (which funds the FCOpassport operation); and the fees we charge forother documentary services such as Legalisation(which funds the provision of these documentaryservices).

As with other fee-funded public services, we arerequired by the Treasury to balance our expenditureagainst our income. This includes the recovery ofpast deficits in future fees. The improvement in ourmanagement information has given us a betterunderstanding of what drives changes in our costs,in particular those allocated from central FCOaccounts. This has put us in a better position to setfees more strategically; and to bear down onremaining inefficiencies in our operations.

The chart below sets out our income andexpenditure from 2006-7 to 2010-11. The incomeforecast for 2009-10 was based upon data availablein December 2008. They do not reflect the mostrecent impact of the economic downturn.

EFFICIENCIES AND COSTSAVINGSThe consular service can balance its books two ways.By raising fees, and by cutting costs. Before weconsider the former, we have a duty to drive throughthe latter. This has become even more important asthe country and British nationals continue to faceeconomic difficulties.

Over the last year we made the following savings:

• Projects forming part of the Consular StrategyProgramme and the Passports NG Programmereturned almost £2 million of unused funds to theConsular Resources Group.

• Deletion of two localy employed positions in theIberia network through joining the global responsecentre, saved £81,000 per year.

• The Know Before You Go preventive messagingcampaign achieved an average return on investmentof 20:1. This compares to a commercial standard of10:1. *

• The rebranding and adoption of standard guidelines,for FCO publications, will make a saving of £10,000 in2009/10 and a further £25,000 saving over the nextfive years for the production of the main Consularguidance booklets (which inform and assist UKtravellers going overseas).

• The roll-out of credit card payment systems to postsresulted in stream-lining of accounting procedures andsaving staff time.

Income & Expenditure for the years 2006-7 to 2010-11

*The figure is calculated through assessing the total amount of media coverage the campaign received, and working out theequivalent advertising costs of this coverage. This cost is then calculated against the campaign’s actual cost.

Inco

me/

Exp

end

ture

(£

mill

ion

)

Income Expenditure

2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11

Financial years

160

140

120

100

80

60

400

20

0


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• Consular Regional Directors are successfullyencouraging staff to take economy flights wherepossible. While it is not possible to put a precisefigure, the Regional Director in South Asia estimatesthat this saved at least £30,000 in 2008/09.

• Restructuring of Malaga, Lisbon and Portimaothrough reviews and dealing with performance issuesresulted in savings of £102,000 per year.

Over the next two years, we are projected to makethe following savings:

• £4.3m in 2009-10 and a further £3.3m in 2010-11from further rationalisation of the overseas passportnetwork

• Savings of £600,000 in 2009-10 in the LegalisationOffice staff budget

CONSULAR FEESWe set consular fees annually through a ParliamentaryStatute. Our goal is to break even under each of ourthree accounts (Assistance, Passports, and OtherDocumentary Services) including carrying forwardsurpluses and deficits from previous years. Thedifficulty of accurately predicting income andexpenditure (much of which is attributed to consularfrom central budgets and thus not known until year-end) sometimes requires us to cross-subsidise betweenthese accounts, in consultation with HM Treasury.Each year we review efficiencies before makingrecommendations to Ministers for adjusting consularfees for the coming year, which are then submitted toParliament.

Based upon the financial data summarised above, areview of fees and charges resulted in an increase of4.25% to overseas passport fees, 2.75% to legalisationand 6% to other consular fees for 2009-10. Wherepossible, we aim only to increase fees by the rate ofinflation. This has not been possible across the boardthis year. In order to reduce historical deficits we havehad not only to push through the efficienciesdescribed above but also to increase some fees. Thedepreciation of the pound has meant that our costs(most of which are overseas) have gone up by 10-20%in many markets. A new Emergency Travel documentis also being introduced in 2009-10 at a cost of £89.This is a much more secure product in line withinternational standards; but it is also a moresophisticated and expensive one.

The full Consular Fees table is displayed in allEmbassies and Consulates. See a copy on the FCOwebsite at the following link:http://www.fco.gov.uk/resources/en/pdf/3052790/14977181/consular-fees-180309

INNOVATE AND SAVEAs highlighted above, the majority of our income forconsular services comes from a £15 Consular Premiumlevied on every passport application. The continuedfall in passport sales (see graph page nine), combinedwith the difficult economic situation more generally, istherefore going to present challenges for our incomein the years ahead. The introduction of Identity Cardswill also affect the consular premium: we arecurrently in discussions with Identity and PassportService to extend the Consular Premium to those cardsthat will serve as travel documents. The need toinnovate, achieve value for money and seek outefficiencies is going to become all the more vital andwill be at the heart of our 2010-13 Consular Strategy.

INCOME & EXPENDITUREThe financial position reported is the latest informationwe have for full costs and income. 2008-09 to 2010-11reflects forecast data. The new fees are reflected inincome from April 2009 and an inflation increase for theConsular Premium has been forecast in 2010-11.Following the fee review, the deteriorating economicenvironment has contributed to falling income volumesacross the business. It is likely that Consular could suffer afall in income of up to 11% over financial years 2009-10and 2010-11. Mitigation strategies need to be developedover the next few months, and both London and theconsular network need to be fully engaged in theprocess.

We break our expenditure down into our three distinctbusiness areas: Assistance work overseas; overseaspassport operation; delivery of other fee bearing services.We cover our expenditure for assistance work throughthe £15 Consular Premium (on all passports, bothoverseas and those issued in the UK), plus income fromissuing Temporary and Emergency Passports overseas.The income we receive from the overseas passport feecovers the cost of our overseas passport operations. Andwe meet the costs of our other fee bearing servicesthrough generating income from these services, thebiggest of which is the legalisation of documents.

The graphs on page nine sets out how we have performedin each of these three business areas. There is also agraph highlighting the number of passports issued in theUK and overseas. As the bulk of our incomes comes fromthe Consular Premium levied on all passports, the numberof passport applications directly affects our income.


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2008-2009 Income & Expenditure 2009-2010 Income & Expenditure

2010-2011 Income & Expenditure

Passport issued UK and Overseas combined

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Assistance Passports Other Documentary Services



Income 2010-2011Expenditure 2010-2011

Income 2009-2010Expenditure 2009-2010Income 2008-2009

Expenditure 2008-2009

70,000,000

60,000,000

50,000,000

40,000,000

30,000,000

20,000,000

10,000,000

0

80,000,000

70,000,000

60,000,000

50,000,000

40,000,000

30,000,000

20,000,000

10,000,000

0

80,000,000

70,000,000

60,000,000

50,000,000

40,000,000

30,000,000

20,000,000

10,000,000

0

7,000,000

6,000,000

5,000,000

4,000,000

3,000,000

2,000,000

1,000,000

02006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11


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OUR CHANGEPROGRAMMESThree times as many British nationals travel overseastoday than when the Berlin Wall came down in 1989.One million British nationals live all or part of the yearin Spain. The consular service continues to change inresponse to the impact that globalisation has had onthe way British nationals travel and live. We aredelivering these changes through two major changeprogrammes – Passports Next Generation and theConsular Strategy Programme. From next year we willalso be introducing our new strategy that will guideour change programmes for the next three years.

PASSPORTS PROGRAMMEThe Passports Next Generation Programme isresponsible for modernising the UK’s overseas passportnetwork. A number of key projects have beendelivered over the last year. The Authentication byInterview project has been successfully rolled out andtwo more (introduction of state-of-the-art EmergencyTravel Documents (ETD) and rationalisation of theoverseas network) are running on time. The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding with the Home Office in April 2009 to integrate the domesticand overseas passport operations enables us to press ahead with a joint project to manage the integrationof the home and overseas passport networks and the centralisation of passport production in the UK by April 2011. The coming year promises to be both challenging but dynamic with the ETD, Rationalisation and Integration projects all reachingsignificant milestones.

The Rationalisation Project was set up in May 2008 toachieve efficiency savings and streamline the business,one of the recommendations in the 2007 NationalAudit Office Report. We will reduce the number ofpassport issuing posts from over 90 to 20 by the endof 2010. Following extensive analysis Madrid and Parisbecame the passport production centres for Iberia andWestern Europe. Washington is now the productioncentre for North America and Dusseldorf beganprocessing applications from Austria and posts in SouthEast Europe in March 2009. We took an important butdifficult decision to locate the passport operation forAustralasia in Wellington rather than Canberra. Workis now underway to prepare Wellington to becomeour biggest passport issuing post.

Over the next year rationalisation will continue in:Australasia; the Caribbean, Central and SouthAmerica; Northern, Central and Southern Europe;Southern Africa; the Gulf, Near East and North Africaand South East Asia. Consular Regional Directorsacross the network continue to work with the projectto identify the best locations for production centre

and the quickest, most secure methods for receivingapplications and distributing passports to customers.Engaging posts early on in the project has been criticalto its success, making difficult or radical decisionseasier to implement.

BRIDGE is the name of the system for issuing the newEmergency Travel Documents (ETDs) from August2009. The past year has seen the system and the ETDitself being designed and built from scratch with frontline consular staff playing a key role in the process.The new document will enable British nationalsoverseas who have lost their passports or had themstolen to travel home, or to a place of safety in anemergency. The International Civil AviationOrganisation have indicated the new British ETD hasthe potential to become the world standard. Over thenext year ETDs will be rolled out to all posts anddesignated Honorary Consuls. The rollout of the newsystem and document will be underpinned by acomprehensive training and communication strategy.

Following the signature of the MOU with the HomeOffice in April 2009, integration of the FCO and IPSpassport operations will increasingly dominate all theProgramme’s activities. In addition to informing therationalisation process, it will also affect our plans forrolling out the next generation of passport issuingsystems overseas (known as BRIDGE II). Over the nextyear we will agree a Transition Plan with IPS up to andbeyond April 2011 when IPS takes control of theoverseas network; begin negotiating the Service LevelAgreements that will govern detailed managementissues; and explore opportunities for greatercollaboration between delivery partners.

The Programme aims to spend approximately £29million from 2008-11 to complete these projects, rollout the next generation of passport issuing systems,and integrate the overseas network into a single UKpassport network overseen by the Home Office’s IPS.Contingency plans have been discussed and are beingdrawn up to take account of the current economicsituation.

An Office of Government Commerce Review of theProgramme conducted in November 2008 highlightedthe progress that has been made over the last twoyears, awarding the programme an amber/greenrating (the previous rating in March 2007 had beenred). The Review found that “a strong andprofessional approach to programme management isin place and operating effectively” with “clearevidence of significant achievement against theoverall plan” and “a high level of confidence bystakeholders that the programme will deliver thedesired outcome.”



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STRATEGY PROGRAMMEThe Consular Strategy Programme is responsible forimproving the professionalism of our consular services.It has focused on raising standards of service,consistently and efficiently across the world.

Significant developments over 2008-9 include:

• The launch of the Global Response Centre on 1 April2009 to provide high-quality and consistent out-of-hours support to British nationals around the world24/7, 365 days a year• New training based around roles/skills in UK andOverseas. Pass/fail training extended to all staff.International accreditation for the FCO’s consularcustomer care qualification • Improved online services including more formsavailable for public use online, improvements to Postwebsites, installation of stand-alone PCs in someconsular waiting rooms for customers• SMS messaging to British nationals overseas tosupport consular crisis response• Appointing 6 more Consular Regional Directors with14 in place overall to promote consistency, share bestpractice and allocate resources within regions. • The rollout of credit card payment facilities toanother 30 more FCO posts overseas • A new system of Management Information based onactivity recording across the network• Sustainable systems to drive up consistency andshare best practice within their region established in30 countries.

Over the next year, we plan to:

• Expand the Global Response Centre to cover most ofthe FCO’s global network• Extend the number of posts able to accept paymentby credit/debit card, and introduce an e-paymentsfacility to enable online payments• Create a Strategic Workforce Plan to help us ensurewe have the right staff in the right places in thelonger term • Continue to make improvements and services moreaccessible through the Consular Service DeliveryImprovements Project• Consolidate the governance around the use of ITwithin Consular Directorate to maximise use ofresources and new technology• Finalise the appointment of the four remainingConsular Regional Directors• Further training developments to maximise use ofresources and improve professionalism• Continue to work with Consular Regional Directors,helping them establish sustainable systems to ensureconsistency in our consular services.

The Programme has an expected expenditure of just

over £2m (£2,230,000) over the 3 years (2007-2010). Sofar, the Programme has spent £1,575,000.

An Office of Government Commerce Gateway Reviewin November 2008 expressed confidence in theProgramme and considered it on track to achieve itsobjectives. The Programme was given an amber ratingand received praise for its practical approach toprogramme management, good communications andbeing benefits focussed: “The track record of successin 2008 augurs well for the future and very muchreflects the individual strength and commitment ofthe key players. The programme’s comprehensiveapproach to communications and changemanagement will help ensure the work remains ontrack.”

POST-2010 STRATEGYThe next three year Consular Strategy (April 2010 –March 2013) will build on the achievements of thecurrent strategy, and identify further opportunities toinnovate the consular operation. The current strategyfocuses on driving up professionalism, following theNational Audit Office’s report of 2005. The nextstrategy will have the changing needs of customers,and the realities of the current economic situation, atits heart.

Consular Directorate has commissioned two externalpieces of research to help develop more detailedcustomer insights. This is in line with the CapabilityReview objectives of a civil service which is better atunderstanding its future challenges and can meetthem efficiently and effectively.

The research will increase understanding of who islikely to require consular assistance overseas in thefuture, what services they will require and how thoseservices should be delivered beyond 2010. Acomprehensive customer evidence base will helpdevelop a strategy which delivers a consular servicewhich:

• Reflects the changing nature, needs and destinations of our customer base

• Delivers a consular network focussed on modern consular assistance, following the merger of the passport network with the Identity and Passport Service after April 2011

• Is flexible and responsive, making best use ofavailable resources

• Consolidates the benefits we have achieved in the last three years


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PARTNERSHIPS IN THE UKMany NGO partners are well placed to help BritishNationals. For example we work closely with Reprieveon death penalty cases, and have daily contact withReunite on child abduction cases. We frequently alertABTA to changes we make to the FCO travel advice.We also work with a range of NGOs and charities onissues such as forced marriage. In early 2008 welaunched the Forced Marriage NGO Forum which nowmeets every three or four months. This is wellattended by a cross section of UK NGOs. In 2008 a keyfunction of the Forum was to help the FCO/HomeOffice Forced Marriage Unit to design its 2009-2010Action Plan.

Partnerships have also played a key role in ourresponse to consular crises. We have signed a DisasterVictim Identification protocol with the Police. The RedCross and International SOS (ISOS) are contracted tojoin Rapid Deployment Teams overseas during consularcrises. The Red Cross can provide emotional supportand ISOS assesses the medical care available. And weshare information and best practice with foreignministries across the world – through weeklyteleconferences with Colloque partners (US, Canada,Australia and New Zealand) and the EU CouncilWorking Group on Consular Affairs (COCON) everytwo months.

We have built partnerships with around 300 TravelIndustry organisations on the ‘Know Before You Go’campaign, which aims to help British people toprepare for trips overseas so that they stay safe andhealthy. Through these partnerships we haveconveyed key messages in innovative ways: Workingwith Club 18-30s and 2wentys to convey our messagesto their customers in resort via posters, address cards,beach balls and beer mats; distributing 52,000 of our‘Driving Abroad’ leaflets on ferries from UK ports; andlinking our travel pages on the BBC Weather and MetOffice websites.

PARTNERSHIPS OVERSEASOverseas, we have worked with partners to provide ahigh quality and joined up service to British residentsoverseas. The Iberia network launched an innovativepartnership approach with the Department of Workand Pensions, Age Concern and the Royal BritishLegion to support vulnerable British residents,especially those hit by the economic crisis. Thepartnerships work involves an outreach programmewhich includes regular roadshows aimed at providingtailored advice and support on benefits entitlements,navigating the Spanish social security system andsignposting to organisations who can provide furtherguidance. We are working to replicate this model elsewhere.

OUR PARTNERS ANDSTAKEHOLDERSOur partnerships, and our wider relationships withstakeholders in the travel industry and civil society, willcontinue to be essential for the delivery of consularservices. Indeed they are likely to become even moreimportant as we look for new ways to provide newservices, often indirectly.

PARLIAMENTThe consular service has a special responsibility toParliament. Parliament approves our fees. And wesupport MPs in the performance of constituencyduties, helping FCO Ministers answer 864 MP letters in2008/09 (of which we responded to 80% in 10 workingdays or less). To raise awareness about the services weprovide, we have developed an MPs Handbookcontaining details of how to get in touch with us onspecific consular issues. Separately we will publish aForced Marriage booklet to give MPs information andfacts on forced marriage and explain what they shoulddo if they are approached by/or have any concernsabout their constituents. In developing both thesepublications we consulted MPs throughout theprocess. We look forward to working more closelywith MPs on consular issues in the future.

STAKEHOLDER PANEL The Consular Stakeholder Panel is our main forum forengaging with partners and stakeholders and meetstwice a year. It brings together Consular Directorate’sexternal stakeholders to discuss issues of commoninterest. The Panel is split into two groups – theTravel Industry and NGOs. Travel Industry stakeholdersinclude the Association of British Travel Agents(ABTA); the Association of Independent TourOperators (AITO); the Association of National TouristOffice Representatives (ANTOR). NGO stakeholdersinclude the Red Cross; Prisoners Abroad; Fair TrialsInternational; Reunite; Reprieve; and the Iranian andKurdish Women’s Rights Organisation (IKWRO).

We upgraded the Panel following extensiveconsultation with its members in October 2008. Thenew format is better focussed on our shared interestsand has received positive feedback from partners. Wewill continue to use the Panel to consult stakeholderson consular services and policies.


13

SHARING RESOURCESRecognising the assistance our partners provide indelivering consular services, we in turn support severalof our partners. In 2008-9 we provided core fundingto Prisoners Abroad and Reunite. We gave a grant toReprieve to help fund their work supporting Britishnationals facing the death penalty. We providedproject specific funding to the Lucie Blackman Trust,Hostage UK and International Social Services. In 2008we piloted a forced marriage project fund for NGOactivities in the UK. Given the success of this we planto continue this fund in 2009. We also fund localpartners overseas, for example in Pakistan we partfund an NGO than runs a refuge.

Since 2002 we have worked in partnership withPrisoners Abroad to provide them and ConsularDirectorate with specialist human rights advice. Underthis arrangement the Human Rights Adviser works inConsular Directorate for nine days in a fortnight, andon the tenth day they are based at Prisoners Abroad.In 2008 we adopted a similar approach to expandingour access to professional social work advice, with twonew advisers added to our team working inpartnership with Heathrow Travel Care.

PARTNERSHIPS ACROSSGOVERNMENTWithin Government, we continue to work closely withthe IPS, following agreement with the Home Office, totransfer ownership of the overseas passport operationto IPS by 2011 (see “Our Change Programmes”section). We continue to contribute via the NationalIdentity Scheme Management Board and its sub-committees, to the design and procurement of newsystems and processes to support the National IdentityScheme and the development of the next generationof UK passports.

We work jointly with the Ministry of Justice onPrisoner Transfers and Child Abduction issues.Consular Directorate hosts the joint FCO/Home OfficeForced Marriage Unit. This is a jointly staffed, jointlyfunded unit and covers both international anddomestic aspects of forced marriage work. In 2008 theUnit ran a full public consultation resulting in theNovember launch of new multi-agency statutoryguidance for dealing with forced marriage. The Unitworks closely with the Ministry of Justice, Departmentfor Children Schools and Families, Department ofHealth, UK Borders Agency, the Police and otheragencies.

We continue to have a regular dialogue with UKBorders Agency on the impact of changes to anyoverseas positions, which have a dual visa/consularfunction.

OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH THE PUBLICOur Consular Guide (Support for British NationalsAbroad) is our ‘contract’ with the public. It outlineswhat services we can and can’t provide for Britishnationals abroad (see page 22) and how we aim todeliver those services. We are constantly looking atways to ensure that our services meet the needs of the public.

We collect feedback from the public through ourconsular satisfaction questionnaires. These arespecifically aimed at detainees, people who receiveassistance from us and those who have used ourpassport or notarial services. We also monitor closelythe complaints and praise that we receive. We arecurrently reviewing the process for ensuring that allthe public feedback we receive is used to inform thedevelopment of our policies and procedures.



14


The Consular network is unable torespond to or mobilise resources to meet

a) a rise or shift in demand globally or inspecific areas. Or b) a non-crisis event (eg an airline goesout of business leaving passengersstranded)

Public expectations rise higher and createirresistible pressure to provide moreresource intensive assistance which we cannot afford from existing funding arrangements

Fall in revenues due to drop in fees bothin the UK (IPS - Consular premium) and overseas

• Successful launch of Global Response Centre to deal with out-of-hour calls. • Greater use of partnerships todeliver services.• Framework for ExceptionalOperations is being drawn up. • Strategic Workforce Plan projectwill assess consular resources. • Network Design Project – Regionalresilience networks set up to helpwith surges in demand. • Management Information project –delivered improved system to assesstrends. • Consular Service Delivery Improvements(CSDI) – use of virtual services.

• British Behaviour Abroad Reportpublished 12 Aug 08. Wide mediacoverage.• Revised consular guide• KBYG - focus research on targetaudience (Mar 09)• Customer based research todevelop 2010 strategy.• CSDI project - online services,increasing efficiency.• Consistency framework

• Budget review process underway tobalance priorities with resources• Rationalisation of passportoperation to reduce overheads hasbegun.• Close monitoring of FCO Consularincome to spot trends.• Consular Regional Directors towork with Post to draw upcontingency plans for efficiencies.

Risk Rating: Action TakenRed/Amber/Green

RISKS AND MITIGATIONThe consular service has developed a professional risk management process as part of the mainstreaming ofProgramme and Project Management across all our work.

This table sets out the key risks we identified for 2008-9. Clear mitigation strategies are in place and this tableoutlines the action we have taken.

We have given a green rating for where a risk exists, but is non-threatening. An amber risk indicates a riskrequiring urgent attention, with moderate but significant impact on delivering services or meeting objectives.And a red risk identifies those risks that need urgent action, with potentially severe consequences if notaddressed. They could cause critical impact on achievement of objectives and/or delivery of services.


15


Cost of maintaining the overseaspassport operation is excessive andbecomes unsustainable

A major consular crisis or aggravation inthe global terrorist threat to which we cannot respond effectively or within thelimits of our resources, leads to loss of effectiveness in other areas of our workas resources are diverted

Inability to make change stick in ouroverseas network or achieve fullrealisation of the benefits

Future shape of FCO network overseasprovides inadequate platform fordelivering consular services

There is a risk that personal data(assistance/passport related) iscompromised through loss/theft -

a) held by Hon Cons/non- firecrest posts and/or b) during transit between posts

There is a risk of theft/loss of blankpassport documents/books during shipment between UK and posts and from non-FCO posts

• MoU with IPS signed by PermanentUnder Secretary (April 09). The FCOwill transfer ownership of the overseaspassport operation to IPS in 2011. • 08/09: Rationalisation of passportoperation.

• Crisis leadership training for Headsof Mission and Heads of Departmentsin London. (This is now mandatory)• Core high risk countries identified.Exercises carried out to test system.• Crisis risk adequately representedand resourced in all country businessplans.• Highly credible travel advice andcommunications campaigns to maketravellers aware of the risks.• Internal audit of centralcontingency planning processescompleted. Recommendationsimplemented. • Crisis risk adequately representedand resourced in all country businessplans.• Staff are involved in developmentof 2010 Strategy.• Coordination with Change Unit toensure change fits in with wider FCOplans.• Consular change agent conferences.

• Strategic Workforce Plan project toassess future resources. • Network Design project – regionalresilience networks.

• Tighter SLAs with commercialpartners/couriers employing OGCGuidance.• Guidance on data handling sentout to honorary Consuls. • Mandatory e-learning package“Protecting Information” for all staff.

• Independent audit on deliveryprocess - Olive Reviewrecommendations are beingimplemented.

Risk Rating: Action TakenRed/Amber/Green


16


Overall Assessment Amber

Performance Target Actual Performance

Role based training delivered fromApril 2008; pass/fail training introducedfor London frontline staff

Authentication by Interview trainingrolled out to network by January2009

Completed on time.

Completed on time.

Delivery ofService

Delivery ofCapability

Framework for Consular RegionalDirectors (CRDs) agreed and 80% ofCRDs in place by March 2009

On track 12 (of 17) CRDs in place as ofApril 2009.

The 2008-9 objectives of the consular service, and in particular of the FCO’s Consular Directorate in London, are set outin the 2008-9 DSO3 (support for British nationals abroad) Business Plan. The business plan follows the four main pillarsof the 2007-10 Consular Strategy: Professionalism of Staff; Quality of Service; Consistent Service; and Efficiency ofService. The following tables set out our assessment against our objectives under each of these headings, based onthe key Performance Indicators that allow us to track our key service delivery targets.

PROFESSIONALISM OF STAFF: TRAINED STAFF AND WELL MANAGED STAFF

100% of consular staff trainedwithin last four years

100% of consular duty officerstrained within last four years

100% of Honorary Consuls receivedtraining within last four years

100% of heads of post CrisisLeadership trained

100% of consular staff with learningand development plans in place

100% of staff had appraisal in lastyear

Since February 2008, the Consular BalancedScore Card (BSC) data shows a steady overallincrease from 73% to 87% in March 2009.

Since February 2008, the Consular BSC datashows a steady overall increase from 70% to86% in March 2009.

Since February 2008, the Consular BSC datashows a steady increase from 73% to 80% inMarch 2009.

Since February 2008, the Consular BSC datashows a steady increase from 60% to 84% inMarch 2009.

Over the last financial year, the Consular BSCdata shows a steady increase from 86% to94% in March 2009.

Over the last financial year, the Consular BSCdata shows a slight increase to 95% inMarch 2009. The metric has been modifiedfor the next financial year to take intoaccount probationary staff that may nothave had an appraisal yet.

ASSESSMENT AGAINST OUR 2008-9 OBJECTIVES


17


QUALITY OF SERVICE: FOCUS ON CUSTOMERS AND RESPONSIVE TO CUSTOMER STAFF


98% of correspondence responded towithin 20 working days

98% of Travel Advice noticesreviewed and revised every 3 months

Since February 2008, Consular BSC dataindicated that overall we have exceededthis target every month. The lowestfigure is 99% in April and August 2008.

Target achieved.

Delivery ofService

98% of correctly submitted Serviceof Process documents processedwithin 5 working days

Target achieved.

90% of customers satisfied with ourservice

Minimal number of justifiedcomplaints

99% hospitalised cases contactedwithin 24 hours of notification

98% of detainees contacted within24 hours of notification

98% of notarial acts completedwithin 1 working day

90% of straightforward passportsissued within 10 working days

Since February 2008, we have been hitting99% or 100% every month. We have,however, not been satisfied with the qualityof this data. Drawing on best practice fromother organisations, we are developing amore comprehensive system.

The Consular Balanced Score Card datashows that the number of complaintshas averaged between 10 and 20 amonth. We have recently improved thedefinition of a “justified complaint”(previously, the definition was toonarrow). We are also improving ouroverall complaints system.

Target achieved.

Target achieved.

Target achieved.

Target achieved. The network as a wholeachieved the 10 working day target in 95%since October 2008.



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Satellite office in central London openedas scheduled on 1 April 2008 and hasbeen fully effective. Milton Keynes officeopened in August 2008. Meet in-personand 24-hour business target. Unable tomeet postal applications target.

Delivery ofService

Registration of Births & Deathsprocessed within 5 and 3 daysrespectively

Framework for Best Practice inconducting Authentication byInterview (ABI) passport interviewsintroduced to all posts by Dec 08 andfull implementation of procedures byMarch 09

Design, development and testing ofnew system (BRIDGE) to replace BRIT,with capability to issue newEmergency Travel Document (ETD) byJuly 09. Rollout to posts by August09. Capability to issue full validitypassports by late 2010

Effective Legalisation Officesestablished in Milton Keynes andcentral London able to cope with the15% annual increase in demand forservices by June 2008, with on-goingconsultation to improve quality ofservice to members of the public andcorporate business

Some posts are not achieving this target. Weare working with these posts to improveservice.

Completed on time.

Delivery schedule remains on track (testingof phase 1 of new system began in March2009).



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CONSISTENT SERVICE DELIVERY: COMPLAINT WITH INTERNAL PROCEDURES ANDEFFICIENT WORKING.


Target achieved. As of March 2009, 82% ofposts have recorded that they have exercisedtheir PEP in the last year.

Delivery ofService

The Global Response Centre successfullylaunched on 1 April 2009. Project remainson track.

Minimal number of lifestyleenquiries handled 1

100% of new cases entered onCompass

70% of Post Emergency Plans (PEP)reviewed and updated in the lastyear

70% of PEPs exercised in the last year

70% posts Consular Crisis Plansreviewed and updated according to risklevel frequency

Phase 1 of rollout of new 24/7 callcentre delivered by March 2009.Centre fully functional by 2011

The Consular BSC data shows a dramaticdecrease in the number of lifestyle enquiriesbeing recorded by posts – from 2678 to 151 inMarch 2009. Clear guidance and support hasled to this decrease.

Target not fully achieved across thenetwork. Performance steadilyimproved, and working with posts tofind solutions to obstacles stopping theuse of Compass. Training, messagingand encouragement key.

Target has not been achieved. Only 53% ofConsular Crisis Plans have been reviewed andupdated. Work to be done specifically on lowrisk posts.

Target achieved. 173 of 203 (85%) PEP arein date, and nearly all posts have completeda review in the last 12 months.


1 : Lifestyle Enquiries Definition: Many posts receive requests for help with the practicalities of living in another country - property,

pensions, schools, or resolving local disputes for example. The Consular Guide makes it clear that we do not answer such queries

substantively, and should be confined to giving the customer contact details for organisations that can help (e.g. relocation agencies,

British associations, local lawyers).

Introduction of Identity andPassport Service (IPS) fraudidentification practices in theoverseas network. Mechanisms inplace to transfer to IPS, FCOknowledge and experience in frauddetection in relation to overseasapplications. Both by December2008

Risk based tools delivered forsporting events and contingencyplanning by December 2008

A specific Fraud Strategy based on the IPSmodel has been circulated to all posts toensure a consistent approach to identifyingfraud. IPS seconded staff have built upextensive knowledge – feeding this back toIPS. Dedicated fraud officer recruited to dealwith South Asia specifically.

Risk based tools for sports event planningand contingency planning embedded in2008.


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EFFICIENT WORKING: MAXIMISE FEE INCOME, RELIABLE SYSTEMS AND EFFICIENT USEOF RESOURCES.


Management Information return rates areamber as we did not achieve a 100% returnrate (figures are between 90-95%). Persistentoffenders have been identified and chasedup. The addition of metrics to monitorsubmissions should improve the score for thenext year.

Delivery ofService

Consular fees review in second half of FY08/09 reviewed the MTA results and thehard efficiencies needed. A projected MTAwhich broke-even over two years wasagreed based on Passport Rationalisationand Legalisations savings. We also agreedprice increases for Passports of 4.25%,Legalisation 2.75% and for overseas feesby 6%.

95% of chargeable fees collected

Minimal number of incidences whereIT systems are unavailable for morethan one hour, baseline to beestablished by end of March 2009

Know Before You Go campaignreceived more than 6:1 return oninvestment

Embed new ManagementInformation (MI) capabilities leadingto 100% return rate by May 2008 sothey are used fully and consistentlyby all staff leading to reliable MI thatmanagers are using to make decisionson their resources

Rationalisation of passport issuingnetwork, in line with IPS Phased TacticalReleases by April 2009. Repatriation ofproduction process to UK and otherconsequences of IPS/FCO integrationprocess

Introduction for 2009-10 greaterclarity into our financialmanagement through betterfinancial MI and clearer separationof our accounts from the FCO mainaccount. Management TradingAccount (MTA) to balance

Target Achieved.

Little progress against objective toestablish baseline as it was agreed thatthere are too many unknown factors thatwould need to be taken intoconsideration.

On target. North America passport productioncentre created in Washington in November2008. Same for Western Europe. FCO/IPSIntegration Memorandum of Understandingsigned in April 2009.

Target achieved. The Know Before You Gocampaign had its best year ever in terms ofROI – achieving 24:1 for Public Relations and8.5:1 for partnership marketing.




21

100% Staff trained within last 4years

100% Consular Duty Officerstrained within last 4 years

100% Honrary Consuls trained within last 4 years

100% Heads of Post attendedCrisis Leadership Courses

100% Staff have Learning &Developmet plans

100% Staff had an appraisal inthe last year

100% 100%100%100%99% 100%100%100%100%99% 100%100%100%100%99% 97% 100%100%100%

0 0 0 1 2 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0

100% 100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%

100% 100%100%100%100% 95% 100% 88% 100% 75% 99% 100%100% 90% 100%100%100% 100%

100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100% 99% 100%100%100%100%100%100%

97% 92% 111% 98% 100%100%100% 99% 100%107% 81% 99% 98% 102% 70% 99% 100% 97%

100% 100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100% 98% 100%100%

100% 100%98% 98% 100%100%100% 94% 100%100%100%100%100% 99% 100%100%100%100%100%

100% 100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100% 92% 100%100% 82% 100%100%100%100% 93%

100% 100% 71% 86% 71% 75% 86% 91% 82% 90% 69% 100% 88% 82% 80% 56% 92% 50% 73%

100% 80% 82% 100% 88% 90% 100% 91% 89% 100%100%100%82% 67% 100% 86% 50% 50%

82% 89% 100% 89% 86% 82% 94% 91% 92% 88% 78% 89% 96% 92% 96% 71% 92% 70% 84%

77% 98% 98% 92% 93% 82% 97% 75% 98% 75% 95% 78% 98% 90% 93% 77% 87% 59% 97%

100% 100% 94% 91% 50% 75% 80% 0% 100% 91% 58% 68% 73% 100% 78% 89% 71% 67% 81%

89% 100%100%100% 86% 83% 86% 91% 100%100% 62% 83% 100% 82% 90% 67% 92% 100% 80%

100% 100% 87% 96% 100% 94% 100% 78% 93% 88% 98% 100% 96% 97% 100% 87% 88% 70% 99%

100% 97% 94% 96% 100% 93% 100% 87% 92% 100% 83% 90% 100% 96% 100% 97% 96% 85% 93%

100% 100% 94% 99% 100%100%100%100%100% 99% 100%100%100% 99% 54% 100% 99% 98% 100%

0.44 0.56 0.73 0.00 0.63 0.25 0.40 0.55 0.43 1.40 0.69 0.75 0.33 1.27 0.33 2.30 0.53 0.50 0.73

95% of Chargable Fees collected

Average number of times ITsystems are unavilable for morethan 1 hr

100% of New Cases entered onCompass

70% of Post Emergency Plansupdated in the last year

70% of Post Emergency Plansexercised in the last year

90% Customer satisfaction

Number of Justified Complaints

99% Hospitalisation Casescontacted within 24 hours

98% of Detainees contactedwithin 24 hours

98% of Notarial Acts completedwithin 1 working day

90% of Straightforward Passportsissued within 10 working days

98% of Correspondence respondedto within 20 working days

70% of Consular Crisis Plansreviewed and updated

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ovoDelivery of Service Matrix

by region March 2009


22

We can: • issue replacement passports

• provide information about transferring funds

• provide appropriate help if you have suffered rapeor serious assault, are a victim of other crime, are illor in hospital

• provide details of local lawyers, interpreters, doctors and funeral directors (see note 1 below)

• do all we properly can to contact you within 24 hours of being told that you have been detained

• offer support and help in a range of other cases,such as child abductions, death of relatives overseas,missing people and kidnapping

• contact friends and family for you, if you want

• make special arrangements in cases of terrorism,civil disturbances or natural disasters.

We cannot: • get involved in private disputes over property, employment, commercial or other matters

• get you out of prison, prevent the local authoritiesfrom deporting you after your prison sentence, orinterfere in criminal or civil court proceedings

• help you enter a country, for example, if you do nothave a visa or your passport is not valid, as we cannotinterfere in another country’s immigration policy orprocedures

• give you legal advice, investigate crimes or carry outsearches for missing people, although we can give youdetails of people who may be able to help you inthese cases, such as English-speaking lawyers

• get you better treatment in hospital than is given tolocal people

• get you better treatment in prison than localprisoners, although we may raise concerns with localauthorities if treatment falls below internationallyrecognised standards

• pay any bills or give you money from public funds

• make travel arrangements for you, or find you workor accommodation

• make business arrangements on your behalf

• make sure you will be safe in another country -safety and security are matters for the governmentconcerned

• provide compensation if you are affected by a majorcatastrophe or terrorist attack.


WHAT KIND OF HELP CAN WE PROVIDE?

CONSULAR SUPPORT

For full details of our Consular Service please see the Consular guide at the following addresshttp://www.fco.gov.uk/resources/en/pdf/2855621/english

Note 1: Neither the Government nor the relevant British Embassy, High Commission or Consulate can make any guarantee in relationto the professional ability or character of any person or company on the list, nor can they be held responsible in any way foryou relying on any advice you are given. We welcome feedback on the people and companies listed.



Giving us feedbackIf you needed to get in touch with a BritishConsulate when you are overseas, we wouldwelcome any comments on the help you received.Please send an e-mail to [email protected]

Printed on recycled papercontaining a minimum of 75% postconsumer waste and 25% ECF pulp.

www.fco.gov.uk/travel


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