§ 5. Mr. BaldryTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British nationals consular officials in Spain helped this summer.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr. Tim Sainsbury)Between 1 June and 30 September 1989, British consular posts in Spain received 41,818 visitors and 49,538 telephone inquiries.
§ Mr. BaldryI warmly welcome my hon. Friend to his new position. Does he recognise that the whole House wants to thank consuls, and particularly our honorary consuls in Spain, for the work that they undertake on behalf of British nationals? Given that at least 500,000 British nationals are now permanently resident in Spain, is my hon. Friend confident that the present consular set-up is adequate to deal with their legitimate needs—for example, to deal with their pension and other benefit inquiries?
§ Mr. SainsburyI thank my hon. Friend, both for his welcome to me and for what he said about the excellent work done by our consular network in Spain. We have a particularly extensive network of consuls—12 consulates and six honorary consuls—and we keep both the size and the location of that network under review in the light of demands on its services and the resources available to us.
§ Mr. DalyellIs the Minister aware that the all-party heritage committee received great kindness and efficiency from our consul in Seville? Will the Minister give a mind to the problems likely to arise in July when it is a sweltering 110 deg and there is a huge influx of people for Expo? Has that been considered?
§ Mr. SainsburyI am glad to hear from the hon. Member that the all-party committee was well received by our consul in Seville. I note what he said about the problems that could arise during Expo—we are considering them—in the light of the temperature and the demands on resources in that area.