Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Travel Companies: International Restrictions

Thursday 9 September 2021 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Travel companies affected by international travel restrictions due to the covid-19 pandemic can access measures such as the coronavirus job retention scheme.
  • The Department for Transport is working to safely restart international travel under the global travel taskforce.
  • Mike Kane highlighted job losses in the aviation and travel industries, mentioning 3,000 jobs lost in his constituency.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Wendy Chamberlain Lib Dem North East Fife
Transport Business & Trade
Context

The question addresses the ongoing challenges faced by travel companies due to continued international travel restrictions imposed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Question

What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support travel companies that are affected by ongoing international travel restrictions as a result of the covid-19 pandemic. In addition to being hampered by the international travel restrictions, many transport companies, such as long-distance coach companies, are struggling because of the lack of test provision for drivers. The Secretary of State spoke at length about what is happening for HGV drivers, but will the Minister confirm whether those changes will include PCV—passenger-carrying vehicle—drivers with more capacity for testing, and will the Government consider allowing tests to be taken in the delegated in-house facilities of larger companies such as Stagecoach?

Answer from Robert Courts

Where eligible, travel companies have been able to draw on the unprecedented package of measures brought forward by the Chancellor last year, such as the coronavirus job retention scheme, as well as our work to safely restart international travel under the global travel taskforce. We are looking to address the problem she raises, and I will be able to give her some further detail on that shortly.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide concrete details about additional testing capacity for PCV drivers or allowing tests at company facilities

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Q2 Wendy Chamberlain Lib Dem North East Fife
Employment Transport
Context

The question highlights the impact of furlough on workers in the aviation sector, with 81,000 people working in air transport currently on furlough, including around 2,200 in the MP's constituency.

Question

Eighty-one thousand people working in air transport are currently on furlough, including approximately 2,200 in my constituency, which covers Manchester airport. Even in non-airport seats such as that of the Secretary of State, just short of 300 souls face the axe in less than a month's time. Furlough is due to end three weeks today, and if the Government continue to restrict the market in some sort of latter-day corn law way, they have to make a choice: either open up the market, or put in a sectoral deal. Which is it going to be?

Answer from Robert Courts

The hon. Gentleman is right to raise the importance of the air transport industry and the travel industry more generally, not just to his constituents but to all our constituents. The best way to support them all is to do what we in the Department for Transport are hard at work doing, which is to safely reopen international travel. Since we last spoke, on 2 August we expanded quarantine-free travel to passengers from the European Union and the United States.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not address the choice between opening up the market or putting in a sectoral deal for aviation

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Q3 Mike Kane Lab Wythenshawe and Sale East
Employment Business & Trade
Context

The question focuses on job losses in the aviation and travel industries, with tens of thousands of jobs potentially at risk if current measures continue without government intervention.

Question

Earlier I mentioned the penny dropping with regard to HGV drivers, but the aviation and travel industries can only dream of the Government understanding the magnitude of the crisis they face. Tens, perhaps hundreds, of thousands of jobs have gone in the sector, including 3,000 in my constituency, and that is with a job retention scheme in place. If the scheme ends this month there will be further damage to the sector. Did the Minister make representation to the Treasury to extend the scheme for aviation and travel, and if not, why not?

Answer from Robert Courts

As I said to the hon. Member for Wythenshawe and Sale East (Mike Kane), the importance of this industry is well understood by me and the entirety of Government. We are working hard to ensure that we get international travel up and running again safely and securely, because that is the best way to protect all our constituents.

Not addressed: Did not address whether the minister made representations to extend the job retention scheme for aviation and travel

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