My Lords, we are actively monitoring the fires in Rhodes and elsewhere in Greece and are in close contact with the Greek authorities. The British vice-consulate in Rhodes is visiting local evacuation centres. The FCDO has deployed a rapid deployment team of six FCDO staff and four British Red Cross responders to Rhodes to support British nationals, whose safety is our top priority. The team is based at Rhodes International Airport and is assisting with travel documents and liaising with Greek authorities and travel operators on the ground. There are no plans for the UK Government to repatriate holidaymakers from Rhodes as the airport is operating normally.
I thank my noble friend for his reply and for the steps being taken. I also commend the citizens of Rhodes on the hospitality they have extended to British holidaymakers fleeing the fires. Looking ahead, some 30,000 holidaymakers have booked to go to Rhodes over the next few weeks. At the moment, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is not advising people not to travel. The Association of British Insurers has said that unless the FCDO advises against travel, there will not be a great deal of policies that will help. Do the Government expect families booked to go to Rhodes over the next few days to go ahead with their plans?
My Lords, we should pay tribute to the people of Greece who have opened their homes to many holidaymakers in their area. The FCDO travel advice should not impact people’s ability to claim insurance for things such as cancelled hotel bookings or flight changes, depending on their policy and level of cover. However, we recognise that some travel companies use FCDO advice as a reference point to their policies. Our travel advice is focused on ensuring the safety of British nationals and is designed to give people the detail they need to make an informed decision. Of course, our travel advice is always under review.
My Lords, can I ask the Minister to rethink this matter in the light of the information from the noble Lord, Lord Young? It seems quite poignant. We are all ready to go off on our summer holidays—last year I went to Rhodes for a week; it is a marvellous place—and our hearts go out to those people who are there and struggling, or are about to go and are worried about the consequences, and the people of Rhodes whose livelihoods rely, in many cases, on a robust and busy holiday season.
When the Minister at the FCDO was asked whether he would go to Rhodes on holiday, he admitted that he would not travel there. The Government’s lack of advice is not helpful to those who are not sure whether they should fly this week, or what the financial consequences could be. With the cost of living crisis, many people make sacrifices for their annual week-long holiday. I ask the Minister to reconsider the reply he gave to the noble Lord, Lord Young. I am not convinced he entirely understands the position of insurance companies and the struggle that many families have faced to pay for these holidays.
My Lords, I quite understand the point made by the noble Baroness, Lady Smith of Basildon. The situation in Rhodes is stabilising at the moment. The vast majority of the island is not affected by these fires and, as I said, our travel advice is kept under constant review. I understand the situation for people taking valued holidays in difficult times; they really want some certainty. I will take that back.
My Lords, as I said, the situation is stabilising—I had a call with the department earlier this morning—and the majority of the island is not affected by these fires. As I have reiterated time and again, the travel advice is kept under constant review.
My Lords, does my noble friend not think that the carriers—the airlines that take people there—have some responsibility? They put up the fares sky-high for the school holidays and so on. If people have legitimate concerns about the safety of their families in going there, should the carriers not be prepared to accept cancellations and take responsibility for getting people back?
My Lords, my noble friend Lord Forsyth makes a very important point. The first port of call for individuals in Rhodes at the moment is of course the travel operators, which have the responsibility to get them back. More empty planes were sent yesterday—I gather that more are being sent today—and there is a process of repatriating people from Rhodes.
My Lords, although the noble Lord, Lord Forsyth, is right about the responsibility that falls on the travel companies, the Minister is right to say that they have responded quite speedily and effectively in the circumstances. Does the Minister agree that the number of wildfires, not just in Rhodes but in other places, could reach a point at which it is impossible for the travel companies to deal with the numbers involved? Can he tell the House what contingencies have been put in place in those circumstance for the FCDO to be able to assist in the evacuation of people caught up in the fires?
I thank the noble Lord, Lord Alton; he makes a very important point about the assistance to individuals and families on holidays in these areas. There is always consular assistance. We advise travellers in the areas where there are fires to ask for consular assistance, and so far that has been given to a number of individuals.
My Lords, can the Minister tell us what consideration the Foreign Office is giving to the state of the hospitals in Rhodes at the moment? Smoke inhalation and extreme heat are extremely dangerous for very elderly and young people. I wonder what the occupancy levels are, should British citizens need hospital care, and whether the Foreign Office is thinking about that.
My Lords, at present, as I understand the situation, all British nationals are in good health. The noble Baroness makes a very good point about the facilities available to our nationals in Greece at the moment. As I said earlier, there is a small Red Cross team at the airport. If there is anything more that I can add to my answer, I will write to the noble Baroness.
My Lords, the Minister referred to the consular staff. Can he tell us how many British consular staff there are in our consulate in Rhodes, as opposed to the locally engaged staff?
I do not have the number of consular staff in Rhodes to hand but, as I said, we have sent out a team to Rhodes Airport, including Red Cross personnel. The FCDO has deployed a rapid deployment team of six FCDO staff—who are based, as I understand it, at the airport—and there are four British Red Cross responders there to support British nationals.