Question reference: S5W-29574
- Asked by: Alasdair Allan, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 2 June 2020
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Current status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 16 June 2020
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Foreign Office regarding the repatriation of the oil rig workers from Scotland who are stranded in India due to the restrictions on inbound flights that have been imposed in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Answer
Repatriation of UK citizens overseas is the responsibility of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). In cases where the Scottish Government is made aware of people from Scotland struggling to return due to travel restrictions imposed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we have alerted the FCO and passed on FCO guidance to the individual concerned.
Scottish Ministers have engaged directly with Foreign Office Ministers to ensure that those individuals from Scotland who are stranded overseas (including India) are able to return to the UK as quickly as possible.
However, it is regrettable that regular calls with the U.K. Government, focused on this matter, have now come to an end following the U.K. Government’s decision to suspend the Ministerial Implementation Groups. We continue to have discussions at Ministerial or official level as necessary.