Parliamentary Search

Written question asked by Lord Brennan of Canton (Labour) on Tuesday, 12 May 2020, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 18 May 2020 (named day). It was answered by Wendy Morton (Conservative) on Monday, 18 May 2020 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Canary Islands: Coronavirus

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of British nationals and residents who have been unable to return to the UK from Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

Answer

Helping British nationals who need and want to return to the UK is one of the Government's highest priorities. Since the outbreak in Wuhan, we estimate that over 1.3 million people have returned to the UK via commercial routes - the majority supported by our work to keep vital routes open. Additionally we have brought home over 31,000 people on 146 flights organised by the Foreign Office from 27 countries and territories.

Our Embassy and Consulates in Spain have helped 200,000 British nationals return home and continue to provide advice and support to those who remain and who have contacted us. In the case of Fuerteventura, we currently have five consular customers and, additionally, 80 British nationals have registered their desire to return to the UK with the local authorities.

Our consular team continues to work around the clock to provide support, advice and information to British nationals in Spain. Our travel advice and social media pages are also regularly updated to ensure that those wishing to return are aware of further developments. https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/spain

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
45969
Session
2019-21
Subjects
British nationals abroad Repatriation Canary Islands Coronavirus
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk