after a constituent, Mr Stephen Hughes of Folkestone, contacted him.
British Embassies charge for passports and other consular services in local currency. However, the British Embassy in Harare has been given permission by the Foreign Office to use an “alternative” rate of exchange instead of the official rate of exchange.
British citizens in Zimbabwe have to break the law and use the black market to access the rate of exchange used by the British Embassy, or pay the equivalent of £88,000 for an adult passport and £58,000 for a child’s passport.
Michael Howard said:
“The Foreign Office is effectively abandoning Britons stuck in Zimbabwe who need a passport to get out. Most people simply couldn’t dream of affording these incredible fees.
“I have raised the matter with Lord Malloch-Brown, and his only response has been that the Foreign Office has a policy of ensuring those who access consular services pay the full cost of those services.
“The attitude of the Government is thoroughly reprehensible. They should be assisting Britons who want to leave Zimbabwe – not put barriers in their way.”
A furious Stephen Hughes, who is currently stranded in Zimbabwe as his daughter needs a passport to leave, wrote to Mr Howard:
“The Minister’s response is far from helpful. Whatever the Minister may think of the Zimbabwean government’s economic policies, and whatever the British Government may legislate in respect of all overseas consular service costs being borne by the beneficiaries, it remains a fact that either the British passport holder has to pay the equivalent of tens of thousands of pounds for a passport or we have to break the law. The exchange rate that the British consul has decided to use is not available to anyone legally.”
“I offered to pay in pounds cash, US dollars cash or a sterling cheque – all of which were refused. It is both unfair and incorrect that the Minister should put this burden entirely on the British beneficiary, while at the same time doing absolutely nothing to help.”
“The Ministers and the Consular service in general are failing miserably in their duties, and far from looking after the interests of British citizens overseas they are actually jeopardizing them.”
“The service should be ashamed of itself and if the Minister insists on defending this service and trying to shift the blame elsewhere then he should also be ashamed of himself.” |
