Asked by: Baroness Randerson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what obligation, if any, there is upon emergency services to alert a local authority where the condition of a road could be considered a causal factor in an incident they are called to attend.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
There are no requirements to share information but it is the Government’s expectation is that information should be shared – as appropriate - between emergency services and others in the public sector should an issue be identified that may cause a risk to the public.
Asked by: Baroness Randerson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce delays following the introduction of biometric border checks in May 2022 on (1) passengers in vehicles using ports, and (2) the Eurotunnel, to travel to the EU.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Home Office work closely across government and with our international partners, especially at the juxtaposed controls we operate together with France, to reduce delays for people traveling to or from the UK and to ensure Border Security is maintained.
Decisions on the requirements to enter the EU’s Schengen Zone are for our international partners to make, rather than the UK Government.
Asked by: Baroness Randerson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) to update, and (2) to simplify, the (a) design, and (b) requirements, of the passenger locator forms required for international travellers arriving in England.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Passenger Locator Form has constantly evolved since its introduction in June 2020 to align with the requirements of the policies on international travel health requirements implemented by the Government and the Devolved Administrations.
It forms a vital part of the UKs pandemic response, helping to ensure safe and secure international travel and enabling health departments across the four nations to have robust trace and compliance assurance processes.
The Home Office, working in collaboration with departments across Whitehall and the Devolved Administrations, are in the process of reviewing the content of the form to simplify and improve usability of the system.
Further updates will be released on a continuing rolling basis as they are developed, streamlining the system, and adding new capabilities as international travel volumes continue to increase.
Asked by: Baroness Randerson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, if any, to mitigate visa requirements for UK residents seeking employment in UK companies operating in the UK to the EU tourism industry.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
Our new relationship with the EU means that there are new rules in place for UK nationals travelling to the EU. For short-stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period, UK nationals will not need a visa when travelling to and within the Schengen Area, where they are undertaking a limited range of activities such as attending meetings, tourism, cultural or sporting events. Under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement with the EU, business travellers do not require a work permit to carry out certain short-term business travel activities, such as attending meetings and conferences, providing after sale-services, or translation and market research services, unless otherwise stated in the agreement. For those undertaking longer-term stays or providing a service under a contract, a visa and/or work permit may be required.
We have published guidance on GOV.UK for businesses to support our new trading relationship with the EU. This includes enhanced guidance on EU Member State’s immigration systems which provides UK business travellers with a better understanding of the visa and work permit routes available. We are continuing to engage regularly with our embassies to better understand the requirements in Member States, and to support UK nationals and businesses when they travel abroad.
Asked by: Baroness Randerson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect the requirement for visas to enter the UK from Europe has had on (1) tourism from Europe, and (2) the UK economy.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Citizens of countries in the European Union, European Economic Area and Switzerland do not require visas to visit the UK.
Visitors from those countries may use our ePassport gates, where available, to enter the UK.
Asked by: Baroness Randerson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) what assessment they have made of the problems affecting the Border Force's IT systems, and (2) what steps they are taking to reduce the impact of such problems on international travellers.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
In recent weeks there have been a series of short interruptions of service for the Border Crossing system and eGates. We have taken actions to review and address the cause of these issues and have increased monitoring to identify system pressures early to avoid interruptions to service.
Border Force work closely with technology partners to minimise the impact of service interruptions and have a series of operational mitigations to manage the impact on passenger flows and ensure border security has been maintained at all times.
Asked by: Baroness Randerson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to extend the current arrangements which enable universities to sponsor overseas students to study remotely into the next academic year until international travel restrictions in place to address the COVID-19 pandemic are eased.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Throughout the pandemic, the Government has operated a wide range of concessions to support international students and their sponsors, and these have been kept under regular review.
There is no requirement for students overseas who begin a course by remote study to hold a Student visa or to be sponsored by a licensed Student sponsor for study undertaken overseas.
Students who begin a course remotely are able to make an application for a visa once they intend to begin face-to-face learning in the UK. The simplified Student route allows for an application to be made up to 6 months in advance of the start date for study in the UK. This is increased from the 3 month period allowed under the former Tier 4 route, and formerly a Covid-19 concession which we have formalised in order to provide assurance to students who plan to travel to the UK for their course.
Asked by: Baroness Randerson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the remarks by the Chief Operating Officer of Heathrow Airport that queues at border control (1) regularly exceed three hours, and (2) sometimes exceed six hours; what plans they have to provide more staff to process border procedures; and what assessment they have made of the impact of border control waiting times on the UK’s international reputation.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Wait times in airports can be caused by a number of factors, not just related to resourcing. This includes all mandated border security activity, the volume of immigration case working, additional support, specific security activity and, like many other international destinations, checks in relation to ensuring border health measures relating to the Covid-19 have been complied with.
Our teams seek to balance this range of tasking each day. Whilst mindful of passenger wait times and experience, our primary objective is to ensure the security of the border and compliance with border health measures.
Like all public services operating throughout this unprecedented global pandemic, there have been additional pressures placed on Border Force and the safety of the public and our staff remains our priority.
Resource and staffing requirements at every port, including Heathrow, are continually reviewed by Border Force working with airport operators including Heathrow Airport Ltd.
Asked by: Baroness Randerson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase the number of Border Force staff at Heathrow Airport; and what steps they have taken to verify the accuracy of reports of excessive waiting times for border checks at that airport.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Wait times in airports can be caused by a number of factors, not just related to resourcing. This includes all mandated border security activity, the volume of immigration case working, additional support and checks in relation to Covid-19, and specific security activity. Our teams seek to balance this range of tasking each day. Whilst mindful of passenger wait times and experience, our primary objective is to ensure the security of the border.
Like all public services operating throughout this unprecedented global pandemic, there have been additional pressures placed on Border Force and the safety of the public and our staff remains our priority.
Resource and staffing requirements at every port, including Heathrow, are continually reviewed by Border Force working with airport operators including Heathrow Airport Ltd. Resources are deployed flexibly as and when they are required.
Asked by: Baroness Randerson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the requirement for additional border checks for passengers entering the UK from ‘red list’ countries on queues at (1) Heathrow airport, and (2) other airports; and what plans they have to increase the number of Border Force officers on duty dealing with passenger border checks in order to improve people’s ability to maintain social distancing.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
We will never compromise on border security and continue to fill our vital function of keeping the border secure and are deploying additional officers to provide support as and when required. Border Force officers have played a vital role during this pandemic.
There is extensive signage throughout the airport – including in immigration halls – reminding passengers to adhere to the Government’s social distancing guidance, but there are points in the airport journey where social distancing is not always possible. Border Force officials implement social distancing as an effective control measure. Every airport, including Heathrow, has a responsibility to comply with social distancing and Covid measures on site.