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Jim McMahon
Lab Co-op
Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton
Question
In questioning data transparency and country-by-country assessment before policy changes, the MP also raised concerns about private testing costs and requested clarity on travel confidence measures. He further inquired about transatlantic route progress and called for a sectoral deal to protect jobs.
Minister reply
The Minister responded by confirming that full data will be published for each country to instil travel confidence, acknowledging the need for clear direction. He also affirmed ongoing work with international partners but did not provide specifics on further meetings or agreements.
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Jim McMahon
Lab Co-op
Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton
Question
The Minister was criticised for limited data publication on travel list countries. He questioned the delay in adding India to the red list which allowed the spread of the Johnson variant. The MP suggested a full review of this decision. He also asked about the country-by-country assessment carried out before today’s statement and proposed an international vaccine passport, along with suggestions to utilise NHS testing sites for PCR tests.
Minister reply
The Minister confirmed that data methodology is published on the website but did not specify when more countries will be reviewed. He reiterated the early warning about India despite pressure from the opposition. The list of 30 locations accepting NHS app or letter is available, and all children travelling will now be exempt regardless of their test status. Concerning test costs, he noted that prices have dropped since May with tests as inexpensive as £10. On transatlantic routes, ongoing work continues weekly to overcome technicalities including an executive order from the previous US administration.
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Question
Welcoming the steps towards opening up Britain for business, Theresa May inquired about extra resources and staff deployment at borders to ensure smooth movement of people through our borders.
Minister reply
Minister Shapps confirmed efforts are being made with the Home Secretary and Border Force to address potential queues. He warned that many checks will occur upstream before travel and that check-in abroad may see issues, though automating systems are being developed for smoother processes.
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Question
Expresses concern about lack of transparency in data, the need for more detailed statistics, and extension of furlough support. Cites loss of jobs at Glasgow Airport due to reduced passenger traffic.
Minister reply
Acknowledges change in pace due to majority adult vaccination rates, confirms ongoing discussions with previous Health Secretary, states mask-wearing guidance will remain but personal use depends on context. Criticises Scottish Government's policies towards aviation and cites £7 billion support provided by UK Government.
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Question
Welcomes announcement, asks for review of testing regime and consideration of lateral flow tests as alternatives to expensive PCR tests.
Minister reply
Confirms review date on 31 July, explains current scientific evidence supporting use of PCR tests. Acknowledges importance of up-to-date Foreign Office advice.
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Question
Questions impact of third wave infections and potential compensation for travel companies struggling due to lack of Government support.
Minister reply
Acknowledges delta variant causing third wave, describes UK's exceptional vaccination programme. States £7 billion support provided and outlines plans to enable travel from amber list countries with proper verification.
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Question
Welcomes announcement but expresses concern over costly testing requirements for families, asks for regular review of testing procedures.
Minister reply
Acknowledges cost reduction in tests, cites £4.95 as cheapest example seen today. Assures continuous work with scientists and data to minimize testing time while prioritising UK protection.
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Question
I warmly welcome this statement, which finally restores to us some of the freedoms that our European neighbours and Americans have been enjoying for some considerable time. If I understood the Secretary of State correctly, the green list testing requirements will still leave travel more restricted this summer than it was last summer, when we did not have the vaccines. As he will understand, reciprocity is absolutely vital for travel, and the lack of immediate reciprocity for other countries means that they are less likely to open up to us anytime soon.
Minister reply
Of course reciprocity is very important. I have already explained the situation with the United States, and reciprocity would involve it not having Executive Order 212(f) in place, which would immediately relieve some of the issues. They still have 50 different ways to verify tests because there is no central system—each state has its own version. The European example is better as the right hon. Gentleman says. I am working very closely with my European counterparts and in regular contact with them. We wanted to have a first phase in place as quickly as possible—easy to verify through the UK vaccine programme—but we will move as quickly as possible to the next phase, to satisfy his concerns, working with other countries including on the EU digital passport.
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Question
I very much welcome this statement from the Secretary of State and also his restatement of the significant financial support being given to the sector. Is it his judgment that these changes will allow the sector to stand on its own feet from a business viability perspective, or are we still going to have to put significant sums of public money into it?
Minister reply
It is worth reflecting that this country is leading the way. I was having a look at which other major economies in Europe are going for an unlock as we expect and hope to do on 19 July, subject to confirmation next Monday, and I do not see any other countries that are opening up domestically quite as much. We have many advantages this year that we did not have last year, including easily available testing that is much reduced in price, and vaccination and immunisation that is accessible to all adults. That means that we can move to what will become the new world of aviation. To answer my right hon. Friend’s question, from my conversations with the aviation sector in particular I know that many of them have downsized but are now ready to start upsizing gradually as we come out of what has been the most horrendous couple of years on record for that sector.
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Question
Not only has the Government’s hotel quarantining policy been an utter mess, but the handling of complaints and of the legitimate calls for exemption has been painfully slow by official channels. I have had toddlers left without milk and kids so poorly nourished in these hotels that ambulances have been called out.
Minister reply
The hon. Lady is absolutely right to highlight these cases and fight for her constituents. The figure that is charged at the moment does not make a profit for the Government; it is still being somewhat subsidised in the process. People should not be travelling to red-list countries, and there should be a limit to the number of people who are still abroad wishing to return. If the hon. Lady has individual cases, I am concerned to hear about them. The system is handled by the Department of Health and I would be very happy to pass them on.
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Question
The Secretary of State has quite rightly sounded a note of caution in saying that anyone who chooses to travel to an amber list country needs to be prepared for the possibility that it could become a red list country before they return. What happens if someone has booked to travel to an amber list country and it becomes red before they travel?
Minister reply
The travel industry has stepped up to the plate by and large. People are able to get a guarantee of a refund or a change of date if there is a change in status, and holiday insurance has become quite adept as well. The Government have also tried to assist under the Air Travel Organisers Licensing scheme—ATOL—people can take vouchers effectively Government guaranteed so that people can take them with assurance. That is also helping the travel sector to weigh up its difficulties with cash flow.
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Question
The Secretary of State’s statement will be a lifeline to the aviation industry which he has done so much to try to support throughout the pandemic. Inbound tourism is clearly very important to the economy of the United Kingdom; I therefore hope that he will be successful in swiftly ensuring that overseas visitors, not just returning British passengers, will be able to enter the United Kingdom relatively easily and safely.
Minister reply
I absolutely hear the call for inbound tourism which I have heard from both sides of the House. We are working on that as phase 2; there are some further complications with how to accept different proofs of vaccine, but I absolutely agree with the idea that we should accept vaccines that have been approved by the World Health Organisation.
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Question
I welcome the Secretary of State’s statement, but the latest stats from the Office for National Statistics on the coronavirus job retention scheme show that 57% of employees in the passenger air transport sector remain on furlough. What discussions has the Secretary of State had with the Chancellor to extend the furlough to avoid a job crisis in the aviation sector before it ends?
Minister reply
As the hon. Lady knows, the furlough scheme is part of a national scheme. It has supported those in aviation and across the economy. Of course, it is starting to wind down through September which is why today’s announcement is particularly timely: because it gives aviation and travel companies the ability to get going again.
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Question
I welcome my right hon. Friend’s statement that not only football, but air travel, is coming home. I will not repeat colleagues’ points about clarity, testing, self-isolation, wearing a face mask and all the rest of it, but will my right hon. Friend please reassure me that as a result of his announcement there is absolutely no need for London Southend airport to stage more night flights?
Minister reply
I congratulate my hon. Friend on shoehorning two things into his question: first, 45 minutes since anyone has mentioned coming home, he got it into aviation, and secondly, he mentioned night flights which were not entirely part of my announcement today. I know that Southend airport is very important to his local economy. I will not comment on the night flights position specifically but I was relieved to see that flights will be able to continue there after the operator experienced difficulties recently.
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Question
I, too, welcome the statement from the Secretary of State. However, I would like to understand what he is doing to fix the issue with the quarantine hotels. My 34-weeks pregnant constituent who returned to the UK was quarantined in Greenwich at the O2 InterContinental hotel.
Minister reply
I welcome the hon. Lady’s welcome for the package. I am very, very sorry to hear about the situation that she outlines. Of course everybody in a quarantine hotel should have access to medical assistance. I am not aware of the details but I am happy to help arrange for the correct Minister in the Department of Health and Social Care to meet her to discuss her constituent’s case.
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Question
I very much welcome the announcement from my right hon. Friend, which will make such a huge difference to families wanting to see their relatives, to businesses in my constituency, and of course to people who want to go on holiday. Can I come back to the point on reciprocity? While we can ease the measures domestically, what happens when people land on the other side also impacts their ability to work, see relatives and so on. Ideally, we want international safety standards and an international approach that is synchronous across all nations. Will he update the House on his discussions on taking that forward?
Minister reply
I pay tribute to my hon. Friend for his campaigning on this subject. He has done a great deal in talking about safety standards and campaigning to get to a situation where we can help to reopen things. He is right to talk about reciprocity. He will be interested to hear that I chaired a meeting of the G7 Transport Secretaries with my equivalents earlier in the year and will do so again later in the year. Our drive is to introduce those international standards, because clearly coronavirus is not going away any time soon and we want to make sure that an internationally recognised system is in place. We are doing our part, since we have been chairing the G7, to make sure that those standards are recognised globally.
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Question
We find ourselves in a position where previous failures of the UK Government have left us as a centre for a new variant. How does the Secretary of State’s plan for ending quarantine take account of keeping future new variants out and the consequent impact that this may have on the ability of UK citizens to travel?
Minister reply
First, I do not accept the premise of the hon. Gentleman’s point. We have had one of the most rigorous border check systems in place. When I was in the House only last week, I think that every single speaker in all parts of the House urged an opening up, so I am interested to hear his views. Secondly, the steps in place still require a pre-departure test and a PCR test on or before day two in order that it can be sequenced, and there is all the other guidance that exists as well.
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Question
I warmly welcome the Secretary of State’s announcement. These are absolutely the right measures to be taking. However, can I encourage him as soon as possible to go further and look to expand the number of green list countries to which international travel is possible, particularly working in the US-UK travel taskforce? It is estimated that every day we do not have meaningful transatlantic flights is costing the UK economy some £23 million?
Minister reply
I pay tribute to my hon. Friend for all his work and campaigning on this subject; his constituency is greatly impacted by the success or otherwise of aviation. Yes, we will certainly look at which countries fall into the red, amber and green categories. For the purpose of clarity for the House it is probably helpful to say that the next review will take place on 15 July—so there is not long to wait—and there are then two checkpoints, one on 31 July to look at the system and its operation in total and then on 1 October, which are already in the programme going forward.
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Question
I thank the Secretary of State for his update, as always. What steps have been taken with the Republic of Ireland Government to ensure that the correct tests are taken as assessments? This was an issue for a constituent of mine and his pregnant wife only on Monday past: a Ryanair-supplied test was deemed insufficient and around 300 people were placed in a quarantine hotel with no idea at all of just what had happened and what had gone wrong. Can the Secretary of State assure my constituents that the right information will be conveyed to the travel sector so as to make international travel as smooth and understandable as possible?
Minister reply
I was not familiar with that Republic of Ireland situation, but I undertake to speak to my opposite number—we do speak regularly—and receive an update, and perhaps write a letter to the hon. Gentleman with information to take the case further.
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Question
I welcome my right hon. Friend’s statement. I realise that this is not his decision, but what additional evidence does his statement provide to help the House of Commons authorities in their deliberations on whether my delegation can return to Europe?
Minister reply
Far be it for me to get between my hon. Friend and the House authorities, but I do have to say it is time for those delegations to be able to return.
We have today set out a form of travel where amber can be treated as green and where double vaccination—or I should say full vaccination, because some people will have a single vaccination in the future—plus 14 days provides reason to travel, and I very much hope that that then brings to a conclusion this long-running situation where my hon. Friend and others have not been able to travel to important Council of Europe and other business.
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Question
The newly appointed Health Secretary has said that the UK Government’s policy of returning to normal may lead to as many as 100,000 covid cases per day. It is entirely possible that these case rates, uncontrolled by the UK Government, could lead to further curbs on UK travellers abroad. How will the Secretary of State’s plans announced today accommodate these projected domestic case rates?
Minister reply
It is important to know that we are in a different phase of this coronavirus now, as never before have we had the majority of our population double vaccinated, and everyone is welcome to come forward—and, indeed, should come forward—if they have not been for their vaccinations yet. The rest of the world is not quite in that situation as yet but will want to get itself to that position.
For us, therefore, increasingly the focus is not so much on the specific case rates—after all, we are not vaccinating children yet, and we wait for the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation to let us know whether it is scientifically proven and advisable to do so—but on hospitalisations and deaths. Other countries will experience the same thing, and there is no reason, as we have seen throughout the coronavirus, to think that one country’s epidemiological situation is different from another’s. We know that while we may have been suffering from the delta variant, other countries, sadly, will be in the future; I hope that they can get themselves vaccinated in time.
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Question
The whole travel industry will welcome today’s decision, which will help build confidence in the industry and among passengers. Clear and concise guidance will be needed quickly for airports, airlines and travel agents to navigate the additional paperwork required to check passengers’ vaccination status, but given that some people cannot have the vaccine for medical reasons, what can be done to provide confidence that we are not moving towards a two-tier society?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend is absolutely right—the airline industry, for example, says that it is looking forward to working with the Government to continue this momentum and further open up markets—and I welcome his welcome for today’s announcement. He is also right to point out that there are some people who, for various reasons—I mentioned in my statement people who have been on a trial, for example—would not qualify under the normal circumstances. The other set of people, of course, are those who are clinically unable to have vaccinations for various reasons. We will bring forward guidance on all these issues.
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Question
My constituent Tracy Crabb has been double-jabbed, but she is one of those who has had the Indian-manufactured Covishield version of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which the EU currently does not recognise in its digital certificate travel scheme. That is absolutely crazy given that that drug is no different from the AstraZeneca vaccine manufactured here. Some European economic area countries have said they will still accept Covishield, but most have not yet, and France apparently considers people with that jab as being unvaccinated. What is the Secretary of State going to do to try to get some common sense on this issue, so that Tracy and thousands like her can enjoy some of the international travel freedoms he has just announced?
Minister reply
The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right, of course. If the vaccine is recognised by the World Health Organisation, there is no excuse not to recognise it. We are working with our friends and colleagues in the EU and elsewhere, and I am pretty certain that this situation will be resolved.
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Question
I am grateful to the Secretary of State for coming to the House and making this statement, and for all the work he does behind the scenes to support the travel industry, but I have a concern. If I understand him right, amber countries can now be travelled to; the restriction has gone. However, the FCDO advice for those countries—Germany and Italy, for instance—is still that people should not undertake non-essential travel. Will that guidance be updated now for 19 July, so that people can plan in advance?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. I should explain two things. First, FCDO travel advice is about the danger for somebody in a country. Of course, that could be about covid, but it could also be about political unrest or some other natural or other crisis going on in that country, so it is by necessity different from the traffic light system. The traffic light system is interested in the risks posed by that person, having visited that country, on their return to the UK. However, my hon. Friend raises a very important point about the travel advice to people going to amber countries, which at the moment says “don’t” for the purposes of holidays, for example. We will be changing that advice for the 19th to make it clear that people can travel for holidays and other reasons.
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Question
The MP is concerned about the Which? report highlighting that many travellers are being misled by travel insurance policies regarding coverage for COVID-related disruptions. The report indicates that less than 1% of UK travel insurance policies provide full, comprehensive cover for such disruptions.
Minister reply
The Secretary of State acknowledges the concerns raised and states that he has been working with the aviation industry to ensure flexibility and consumer protection. He agrees to meet with relevant Ministers to discuss the issue further.
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Question
The MP welcomes the announcement but seeks clarity on the importance of double-vaccination for unlocking international travel.
Minister reply
The Secretary of State emphasises the importance of individuals getting fully vaccinated to avoid quarantine upon returning from amber list countries. He encourages those who have not yet booked their second vaccination or first dose to do so.
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Question
The MP inquires about the situation for Welsh residents returning from an international airport. He asks whether they will have to quarantine as per the new rules.
Minister reply
The Secretary of State confirms that fully vaccinated UK residents, including those from Wales, will not have to quarantine upon return to England but notes that it is an announcement specific to England and he expects cooperation with the Welsh Administration.
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Question
The MP highlights the importance of the international cruise ship industry, mentioning a recent agreement for repatriation. He asks if the Government will support this sector.
Minister reply
The Secretary of State confirms that cruises with up to 50% capacity can operate from 19 July if people are double vaccinated but expresses frustration over Scottish ports banning cruise ships despite allowing them in English waters.
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Question
The MP seeks clarification on the amber list review process and asks about the potential for foreign fully vaccinated travellers to come to the UK.
Minister reply
The Secretary of State clarifies that countries could remain on the amber list until October but emphasises that changes can occur due to unpredictable virus paths. He also mentions that criteria for country placement are available on gov.uk.
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Question
The MP welcomes the statement and asks about separate guidance for business travellers with multiple short visits abroad, as well as requesting publication of decision-making criteria.
Minister reply
The Secretary of State agrees to write in detail about how the new system works for business travellers. He also points out that the Joint Biosecurity Centre methodology is already published on gov.uk.