11/12/2012 00:00
TW
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Palma.—Despite the efforts of the Conservative Party's longest serving MP and Bulletin columnist, Sir Roger Gale, it appears that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is sticking to its guns and the Balearics is going to remain without a full time on-site resident Consul now that Paul Abrey has officially left the post.

The Bulletin has been campaigning on behalf of the British community for the past two weeks and with the help of Sir Roger Gale, who champions the problems of British expatriates all over the world, managed to take the issue right to the heart of the British government. Sir Roger last week sent two questions to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, William Hague.

In the first, Sir Roger asked “will he estimate the number of a) annual UK citizen visitors to, b) permanent expatriate UK citizens in and c)other UK homeowners in the Balearic Island is the latest year for which figures are available.

In his second question for William Hague, Sir Roger asked; “what are the reasons for the downgrading of consular representation in the Balearic Islands; and if he will make a statement.” Clearly, in the first question, Sir Roger was keen to draw Hague's attention to just how many Britons live and visit the Balearics every year and therefore warrant a permanent Consul.

And, with the second, why the post of Balearic Consul has been axed.
However, Whitehall brought out the white- wash with their response.
In reply to Sir Roger's questions, the Foreign Office appears to have ignored the first and the answer to the second and what the expatriate community wants to know is; “Consular representation in the Balearics has not been downgraded. There is no reduction in our staffing budget but we are restructuring to recruit additional front-line staff overseen by a smaller number of senior staff. This will provide a better front line service for British Nationals in one of the busiest consular regions in the world. We continue to maintain a Consulate in Majorca, a Vice-Consulate in Ibiza and an Honorary Consul in Minorca, and an additional Vice Consul is being recruited in Majorca. We no longer have a resident Consul in Palma but our Consul-General in Barcelona heads the Balearics' consular operation.” Referrals to cuts and restructuring contradict what sources at the Embassy in Madrid have told the Bulletin but nevertheless, it appears that London no longer considers the British community in the Balearics worthy of a resident Consul.