Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-02-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what protocols his Department has in place for supporting and communicating with UK citizens who (a) survive and (b) witness terrorist attacks overseas.

James Duddridge

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s crisis response mechanisms aim to ensure British nationals affected by a crisis overseas receive rapid and professional assistance. During crises, we communicate with affected British nationals through Travel advice and via consular officials in country and in London. Alongside the support offered to all British nationals overseas during a crisis, victims of terrorism may be offered additional assistance according to the circumstances of each situation through our Exceptional Assistance Measures policy. Consular officers work closely with police family liaison officers and overseas authorities to provide support, assistance and information to bereaved families. Through our partnerships with victim support organisations in England, Wales and Scotland we can refer bereaved families to specialist support on return to the UK.