Key Issue

Government Departments still using Antiquated forms of Communication to reach its overseas citizens.

Issue

UK Government departments still like to believe that once they send a letter out it will reach its recipients overseas in a few days. Sadly, the international postal system has broken down as an effective way to send important documents and often UK citizens now either never get mail or
receive it many weeks after it was sent. An example is the annual pensioner confirmation letter to check if a pensioner is still alive. After a significant period of a non-reply the Government department simply stops paying a pension which causes untold misery for the pensioner and considerable time and money for the pensioner to be reinstated.

What the Forum says

The Forum will examine the most pressing issues of the way the way the government communicates with its citizens overseas and give advice on changes in the method of communication and the documentary evidence that is sometimes being required by the Government. Ultimately the UK Government departments need to wake up and accept that communication by overseas postal mail just does not work in the 21 st century. The UK Government should not expect its citizens to be
incurring massive international phone bills for often just waiting for long periods and going round and round automated telephone systems, without actually reaching anyone that can help and make a
decision.