§ John BarrettTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many telephone lines are dedicated to dealing with queries from the general public in the British Consulate-General in Istanbul. [75049]
198W
§ Mike O'BrienThere are two telephone lines. One is dedicated to the visa section only and the other deals with visa enquiries as well as all other enquiries to the British Consulate General.
§ John BarrettTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what checks are made on the response times of the Consultate-General in Istanbul to queries left through the visa inquiry line. [75048]
§ Mike O'BrienThe Visa Section managers monitor this regularly to ensure that all telephone calls are answered quickly and helpfully. In accordance with UKvisas best practice guidelines, and with the published Service Standards for Central Government and its agencies.
§ John BarrettTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations his Department has received regarding poor response times from queries left with the Consultate-General in Istanbul through the visa inquiry line. [75051]
§ Mike O'BrienI am advised that this Department has not received any representations recently regarding poor response times.
§ John BarrettTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the average response time of the Consultate-General in Istanbul for messages left by members of the public through the visa inquiry line was in the most recent available year. [75050]
§ Mike O'BrienAll telephone enquiries are responded to in accordance with Best Practice guidelines. The facilities available do not enable the average response time to be measured.