We are in regular contact with the Indian Government regarding the situation in Kashmir. The Foreign Secretary most recently spoke about Kashmir with Indian Foreign Minister Jaishankar on 20 April. We remain concerned about ongoing restrictions on internet services in India-administered Kashmir and call for these to be lifted as soon as possible.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4057", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Nigel Adams"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Selby and Ainsty"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Nigel Adams"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2020-05-18", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2020-05-18T16:10:45.92Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "16"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2020-05-13", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Kashmir: Coronavirus"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Indian counterpart on internet communication between UK citizens with friends and family in Indian-administered Kashmir during the covid-19 pandemic; and if he will make a statement.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4064", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mr Steve Baker"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Wycombe"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Mr Steve Baker"} ], "uin" : "46633"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1195605", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1195605/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
We estimate that the number of British travellers that may still require support to return home across the globe is now in the low tens of thousands. It is difficult to be more precise, including in relation to the numbers on 7 May, because there have been instances of multiple registrations by the same individual and people not reporting their return to the UK via other means. Our priority has been to get British travellers home. But, exceptionally, during the crisis, where there is space on HMG repatriation flights we are seeking to help vulnerable non-British UK residents with indefinite leave to remain return to the UK. This goes beyond what we usually do, since our consular assistance is ordinarily for UK nationals.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4366", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for James Cleverly"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Braintree"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "James Cleverly"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2020-05-18", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "groupedQuestionUIN" : {"_value" : "46665"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2020-05-18T16:00:40.29Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "16"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2020-05-13", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "British Nationals Abroad and Foreign Nationals: Coronavirus"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent estimate he has made of the number of (a) UK nationals and (b) British residents who are non-UK nationals who have been stranded overseas as a result of the covid-19 pandemic.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4253", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Seema Malhotra"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Feltham and Heston"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Seema Malhotra"} ], "uin" : "46664"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1195611", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1195611/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
We estimate that the number of British travellers that may still require support to return home across the globe is now in the low tens of thousands. It is difficult to be more precise, including in relation to the numbers on 7 May, because there have been instances of multiple registrations by the same individual and people not reporting their return to the UK via other means. Our priority has been to get British travellers home. But, exceptionally, during the crisis, where there is space on HMG repatriation flights we are seeking to help vulnerable non-British UK residents with indefinite leave to remain return to the UK. This goes beyond what we usually do, since our consular assistance is ordinarily for UK nationals.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4366", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for James Cleverly"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Braintree"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "James Cleverly"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2020-05-18", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "groupedQuestionUIN" : {"_value" : "46664"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2020-05-18T16:00:40.243Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "16"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2020-05-13", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "British Nationals Abroad and Foreign Nationals: Coronavirus"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) UK nationals and (b) British residents who are non-UK nationals, who were stranded abroad on 7 May 2020.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4253", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Seema Malhotra"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Feltham and Heston"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Seema Malhotra"} ], "uin" : "46665"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1195612", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1195612/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
British travellers 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. Since the Foreign Secretary announced £75m to support repatriation efforts on 30 March, the Government has so far delivered a programme of over 150 charter flights from where commercial options are no longer viable. These flights have brought over 31,000 travellers, from 27 countries and territories, back to UK airports in the East Midlands, London and Manchester.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4057", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Nigel Adams"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Selby and Ainsty"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Nigel Adams"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2020-05-18", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2020-05-18T16:06:08.147Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "16"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2020-05-13", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "British Nationals Abroad: Coronavirus"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will publish (a) the countries from which charter flights have been commissioned by the Government to repatriate British citizens and (b) the (i) date, (ii) starting location and (iii) final destination of each such charter flight.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4253", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Seema Malhotra"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Feltham and Heston"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Seema Malhotra"} ], "uin" : "46666"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1195766", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1195766/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The Government has committed up to £75 million to help thousands of British travellers return home and this work is ongoing. Flights are leaving all the time, so figures are quickly out of date. The money is being spent directly on the transport required to get people home - this includes charter flights to the UK as well as the costs of ground transport and internal flights to get people to the departure airport. A proportion of the funding remains and the work is ongoing to utilise it to support the next phase of our repatriation effort.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4057", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Nigel Adams"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Selby and Ainsty"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Nigel Adams"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2020-05-18", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2020-05-18T16:15:46.687Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "16"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2020-05-13", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "British Nationals Abroad: Coronavirus"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 11 May 2020 to Question 42202, how much of the £75 million fund announced on 30 March 2020 on repatriating UK nationals has been spent to date; and if he will provide a breakdown of how that spend has been allocated.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4082", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lisa Nandy"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Wigan"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lisa Nandy"} ], "uin" : "46636"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1194917", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1194917/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The welfare of British nationals remains our top priority, and we remain committed to ensuring that British travellers around the globe are able to return home.<\/p>
We hope most travellers will be able to claim their costs from their travel insurance but for those British nationals that cannot afford the cost of a flight to return, and have no other funding options, they may be eligible for financial support through an emergency loan from public funds.<\/p>
To help more British nationals who need a loan return to the UK during the coronavirus pandemic, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has streamlined the process for emergency loans, and begun working with a commercial travel agency (Corporate Travel Management or CTM) to ensure loan recipients' have travel arrangements in place to return home.<\/p>