Question reference: S5W-22295
- Asked by: Angela Constance, MSP for Almond Valley, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 21 March 2019
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Current status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 3 April 2019
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-21305 by Humza Yousaf on 26 February 2019, how devolved services could be improved across the public and voluntary sector to provide better support for these families.
Answer
The Scottish Government are committed to doing everything it can to help families who suffer the death of a loved one abroad but as I know you are aware it is the role of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) to provide consular support. However, as I had previously indicated I do not believe that the current system is wholly satisfactory, and await with interest the report from the All-party UK Parliamentary Group on Deaths Abroad and Consular Services and Assistance and I am keen to explore this issue further.
More generally, the Scottish Government is committed to improving the help we provide to victims of crime. As indicated previously, I am aware that there are a range of issues which Scottish families face when dealing with the death of a loved one abroad in suspicious circumstances, which are often also faced by victims of crime in Scotland. The Victims Taskforce will consider how these common issues can be tackled, informed by the experiences of victims themselves.