Press release from the British Consulate Canary Islands Press and Communications office in full:
From the 1st July 2012, bo th British Consulates in Las Palmas and Santa Cruz will be introducing important operational changes.
We seek to improve the way in which we serve both British residents and tourists and recognise the need to adapt to meet the challenges of the current economic and social climate.
The focus of Consular work in the future will be on providing additional support to victims and preventing the consular cases of the future. We need to allow Consular staff to dedicate more time to victim support, emergency assistance cases, and outreach work.
To this end, we will be moving all non emergency and non-time sensitive work to our Consulates in Las Palmas and Santa Cruz and delivering these services to the public on specific days only.
Our current surgeries on Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and the south of Tenerife will be replaced with regular outreach visits to these areas, designed to source, nurture and develop support networks for our vulnerable British nationals.
Maria Leng, British Consul for the Canaries said, “Together with safeguarding Britain’s security and building prosperity, the government has placed protecting our citizens abroad right at the top of our foreign policy agenda. In order to do this we need to adapt our opening hours for non-emergency enquiries to allow our staff the time to dedicate to those most in need. Up until now, the staff dealing with these cases could be interrupted at various stages by customers requiring certificates or making general enquiries.
The new arrangements will allow consular staff to concentrate front line resource on outreach work, emergency assistance cases and victim support. With a more efficient delivery model in place and greater use of the media, stakeholders and partners to deliver regular and targeted preventative messaging, projects and campaigns, we hope to drive down avoidable, non essential assistance work.”
In 2011, Consular staff in the Canaries dealt with 1,345 assistance cases – we have seen a significant rise in cases involving deaths (20%) mental health (67%), missing persons (11%) and hospitalisation (39%). Every day, residents and tourists find themselves in truly distressing circumstances such as suffering a serious accident, bereaving the death of a loved one, or becoming a victim of rape or another violent crime. Our primary role is to offer support and assistance to those British nationals in need and their families.
Public opening hours from 1sth July 2012:
Tuesdays & Fridays: 08.30hrs – 13.30hrs
Notarial services:
Please consult our webpage or call 902109356 or alternatively +34 913342194 for further information on how to make an appointment. Please note, we are no longer able to provide notarial services without prior appointment.
Emergency Assistance:
Assistance is available 24hrs a day, 7 days a week by calling us on
902109356 or alternatively +34 913342194
E-mail: info.consulate@fco.gov.uk
Webpage: http//:ukinspain.fco.gov.uk
British Consulate British Consulate
Calle Luis Morote No.6, 3º Plaza Weyler, 8, 1º
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria 35007 Santa Cruz de Tenerife 38003
