Can you recommend a Scottish chef in Brussels who can make haggis? How do I set my antennae to receive English TV channels in Italy? Can you find me cheap flights to New Zealand? These are just some of the recent enquires the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has received from around the world.
Last year the FCO’s Contact Centres received more than 365,000 calls from British nationals. The vast majority of these were genuine calls from people who needed their help, but the FCO still receive thousands of calls a year relating to issues they are unable to assist with, which can take time away from those in genuine need of assistance.
Some of the more unusual calls the FCO received in 2014 include:
- A caller asking for help with setting up “British-style” hanging baskets at a trade show because the gardener hired for the purpose had stage fright
- A British woman asking the consulate in Albania how to find out if her son's fiancée was already married
- A caller asking for advice on how to treat a cat’s infected paw
- A man called requesting that staff at the Embassy in Mexico City go to the airport to check whether he had left his mobile phone on a plane
- A woman in Italy calling to enquire how she could synchronise her TV antenna to receive English channels
- An event coordinator in Brussels asking for the name of a Scottish chef based in the country who could make Haggis for a “Burns Night” event
Such enquiries stem from a lack of understanding of what FCO consular teams can do for British nationals overseas, so we are launching an awareness campaign to remind UK travellers and residents overseas of the services we provide, and what we can and cannot do.
Research revealed that the number of people who have knowledge of what embassies and consulates do has dropped to the lowest in three years among young people (aged 16-24), from 62 per cent in 2011 to 55 per cent in 2014.
In fact, out of all calls made from British nationals to embassies and consulates worldwide in 2014, 38 per cent were not related to what the FCO actual does, said Meg Williams, Head of the FCO’s Global Contact Centres.
“For example, one caller asked us to help find his son’s missing suitcase – as it had apparently been lost by a British airline, the caller thought the British consulate would be able to locate it.”
The FCO’s priority is to protect the welfare of British nationals abroad, and consular staff always try to assist people when they find themselves in difficulty. However, it is important for travellers to understand what services they provide before getting in touch.
FCO Minister, David Lidington, said:
“It is important for FCO consular staff to be able to focus on our most vulnerable customers, such as victims of crime, those who have lost a loved one abroad or people who have been detained or hospitalised overseas.
“We can issue an emergency travel document if your passport is lost or stolen, offer support if you become a victim of crime or visit you in hospital or prison, but we aren’t able to pay medical bills, give legal advice or get you out of jail, or indeed act as veterinary surgeons.”
For more information on how the FCO can help British nationals overseas, visit: www.gov.uk/government/publications/support-for-british-nationals-abroad-a-guide.
For enquiries, call 0207 781 2300 or ForeignandCommonwealthOf fice@con solidatedpr.com
Protect Yourself
The FCO said that there are some simple pre-travel steps that travellers can take to reduce the risk of getting into difficult situations while abroad, such as:
- Take out comprehensive travel insurance
- Research the destination and any health risks
- Ensure access to emergency funds.