Asked by: Baroness Doocey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had, if any, with the tourism industry on improving the environmental sustainability of that industry.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
My Department regularly engages with tourism stakeholders about environmental sustainability. For example, this was discussed at the Tourism Industry Council in June 2019 and at the G20 in Japan in October 2019.
The Tourism Sector Deal and the £45m Discover England Fund aim to contribute to a more sustainable tourism sector by spreading visitors more evenly throughout the year, and more broadly across the country. Successful Tourism Zones will be required to commit to making a sustainable development plan for their regions.
Asked by: Baroness Doocey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that former Thomas Cook employees who apply for, and are eligible for, Universal Credit begin receiving payments swiftly.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott
The Department is monitoring all new claims to Universal Credit to identify where the claimant is a former employee of Thomas Cook so that they quickly receive the right level of support.
For claimants who require urgent financial support, new claim advances provide access to a payment quickly, until the first regular Universal Credit payment is due. Claimants can access up to 100% of the total expected monthly award, which they can pay back over a period of up to 12 months.
From April 2019 Citizens Advice (England and Wales) and Citizens Advice Scotland are delivering ‘Help to Claim’ support to claimants making a new Universal Credit claim. Help to Claim have offered locally tailored support to former Thomas Cook employees in need of assistance face to face, and through prioritised telephony and web-chat channels.
Where we have seen an increase in demand, additional staff have been deployed from neighbouring offices on a temporary basis.
The Department is offering a range of support to anyone affected by the closure of Thomas Cook, through our Rapid Response Service (RRS) and wider DWP services. This is a redundancy service designed to give support and advice to employers and their employees when faced with redundancy. It is coordinated nationally by the National Employer and Partnership Team (NEPT) and is managed by Jobcentre Plus.
The RRS has been mobilised to help people find a new job as soon as possible by offering tailored support. Each Jobcentre Plus district deploy resources according to the situation and the requirements of the workforce. The RRS is delivered in partnership with a range of national and local partners, including National Careers Service and local service providers.
Asked by: Baroness Doocey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of Thomas Cook's liquidation on (1) airline food suppliers, and (2) aircraft parts manufacturers.
Answered by Lord Duncan of Springbank
My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has convened a special cross-government taskforce alongside local stakeholders to support employees, local stakeholders and supply chains. The taskforce is considering existing support schemes available and will also monitor local business impacts.
Asked by: Baroness Doocey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, if any, to protect Thomas Cook's suppliers from the financial impact of that company's collapse.
Answered by Lord Duncan of Springbank
My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has convened a special cross-government taskforce alongside local stakeholders to support employees, local stakeholders and supply chains. The taskforce is considering existing support schemes available and will also monitor local business impacts.
Local partners are able to advise on support available to suppliers affected by Thomas Cook going insolvent.
Asked by: Baroness Doocey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of Thomas Cook's liquidation on the landlords of Thomas Cook's high street shops.
Answered by Lord Duncan of Springbank
The Government welcomes the announcement that Hays Travel Limited has acquired Thomas Cook’s entire UK retail estate of 555 outlets. It is a matter for Hays Travel Limited to negotiate contractual arrangements with landlords for the ongoing occupation of the sites.
Asked by: Baroness Doocey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on business rates revenue, following the closure of Thomas Cook's high street shops.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
My Department does not hold data on business rates liabilities associated with particular ratepayers or properties. However, I understand that a significant number of former Thomas Cook branches have been reopened by Hays Travel, with more to follow.
Asked by: Baroness Doocey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to review their repatriation measures for non-ATOL protected passengers, following the collapse of Thomas Cook.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
On 14 October 2019, the Queen’s Speech set out the Government’s intention to legislate to enhance the Civil Aviation Authority’s oversight of airlines, and to create a new airline insolvency framework to provide a means to keep the fleet flying and to get passengers home quickly and efficiently in the event of any future insolvencies.
Asked by: Baroness Doocey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, if any, to ensure that there is a competitive and fair purchasing process for Thomas Cook's former airline routes.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Official Receiver’s duty is to realise assets to maximise returns to creditors. This involves selling viable parts of the Thomas Cook business, any discussions remain confidential between the Official Receiver and interested parties.
The UK Government is not involved in decision making in relation to the allocation of airport slots.
Asked by: Baroness Doocey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, if any, to ensure that there is a competitive and fair purchasing process for Thomas Cook's former landing and take-off slots at Gatwick Airport.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Official Receiver’s duty is to realise assets to maximise returns to creditors. This involves selling viable parts of the Thomas Cook business, any discussions remain confidential between the Official Receiver and interested parties.
The UK Government is not involved in decision making in relation to the allocation of airport slots.
Asked by: Baroness Doocey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the costs to the public arising from the collapse of Thomas Cook as a result of (1) the repatriation of passengers, and (2) the loss of tax revenues received from the company.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The costs of the repatriation are not yet finalised, but we are seeking to minimise the impact on government and taxpayers by recovering costs where appropriate through the ATOL scheme, credit card companies and travel insurance.
HMRC does not comment on the tax affairs of identifiable businesses.