The department was, however, primarily intended to assist Tongans overseas concerning issues in Tonga, such as land registration, providing updates on legal and policy changes or assisting them when they visit Tonga, and for such things as quick passport renewals or assisting deportees to become re-integrated. In a sense, the objective was to include overseas Tongans more directly in the affairs of the country. According to the then prime minister, it was, however, a somewhat futile strategy, since ‘relatives took care of all these things more effectively than a bureaucracy’ (personal communication). After the change of government in 2010, the department effectively lapsed.