Mr. J. Enoch Powellasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will provide answering machine facilities during the hours when Her Britannic Majesty's embassy in Paris and consulate in Calais are closed.
§ Mr. WhitneyThe British embassy in Paris is manned 24 hours a day, so no automatic answering machine is needed. There has been no career consulate in Calais since 1980, when it was closed for reasons of economy. The honourary consulate there falls within the district of the consulate-general in Lille, which is equipped with an answering machine.
Outside office hours the French authorities refer any British nationals in Calais who wish to speak to a British consular officer to the British consulate-general in Lille, 156W where a telephone answering machine gives the telephone number of the duty consular officer. These arrangements are cost effective and, so far as we are aware, work satisfactorily.