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.
Asked by: Baroness Doocey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the collapse of Thomas Cook, what steps they intend to take, if any, to help protect tour operators from bankruptcies.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
It is the responsibility of directors to decide when a business is no longer a going concern. It is not the role of government to decide on the viability of a business.
As part of its duty to protect consumers, the CAA closely monitors tour operators and airlines through its management of the ATOL scheme and has strong working relationships with the UK travel sector.
Now that the repatriation operation is complete, our efforts will be focused on ensuring that reforms are brought forward, taking into account the lessons learned from both the Thomas Cook and Monarch failures.
Asked by: Baroness Doocey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the collapse of Thomas Cook, what steps they intend to take, if any, to help airlines mitigate risks of bankruptcy.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
It is the responsibility of directors to decide when a business is no longer a going concern. It is not the role of government to decide on the viability of a business.
As part of its duty to protect consumers, the CAA closely monitors tour operators and airlines through its management of the ATOL scheme and has strong working relationships with the UK travel sector.
Now that the repatriation operation is complete, our efforts will be focused on ensuring that reforms are brought forward, taking into account the lessons learned from both the Thomas Cook and Monarch failures.
Asked by: Baroness Doocey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to conduct a review of the collapse of Thomas Cook; and if so, to what timescale.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has written to the Financial Reporting Council to ensure they prioritise, as a matter of urgency, an investigation into both the causes of the company’s failure and the conduct of its directors.
The FRC will conduct a robust investigation into the preparation of the company’s accounts in compliance with these standards and seek areas where lessons may be learned.
Thomas Cook Group prepared their accounts using EU-adopted International Financial Reporting Standards, which are set by the International Accounting Standards Board and used in 125 countries worldwide.
Asked by: Baroness Doocey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the customer experience of long-distance railway journeys for tourists; and what plans they have, if any, to improve that experience.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The latest National Rail Passenger Survey figures for Spring 2019 concluded overall passenger satisfaction for long-distance leisure travellers is 90%.
We are working collaboratively with train operators and other stakeholders to deliver the best possible experience for all passengers both on trains and at stations. This includes investing £48 billion to modernise our rail network to ensure passengers have the services they expect.
Asked by: Baroness Doocey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government which authorities are responsible for safeguarding unaccompanied children on the concourse at St Pancras International, Ebbsfleet International and Ashford International stations.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
For unaccompanied children travelling on international train services, Eurostar International have an unaccompanied minors policy, which is available on their website. If unaccompanied, lost children are found at these stations, they are transferred to the custody of the British Transport Police by station staff.