Rhodes Wildfires: Repatriation of Holidaymakers

Lord Young of Cookham Excerpts

Tuesday 25th July 2023 Lords Chamber

Asked by

[Lord Young of Cookham]

To ask His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to assist with the repatriation of holiday-makers from Rhodes following recent wildfires.

[The Earl of Courtown (Con)]

My Lords, we are actively monitoring the fires in Rhodes and elsewhere in Greece and are in close contact with the Greek authorities. The British vice-consulate in Rhodes is visiting local evacuation centres. The FCDO has deployed a rapid deployment team of six FCDO staff and four British Red Cross responders to Rhodes to support British nationals, whose safety is our top priority. The team is based at Rhodes International Airport and is assisting with travel documents and liaising with Greek authorities and travel operators on the ground. There are no plans for the UK Government to repatriate holidaymakers from Rhodes as the airport is operating normally.

[Lord Young of Cookham (Con)]

I thank my noble friend for his reply and for the steps being taken. I also commend the citizens of Rhodes on the hospitality they have extended to British holidaymakers fleeing the fires. Looking ahead, some 30,000 holidaymakers have booked to go to Rhodes over the next few weeks. At the moment, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is not advising people not to travel. The Association of British Insurers has said that unless the FCDO advises against travel, there will not be a great deal of policies that will help. Do the Government expect families booked to go to Rhodes over the next few days to go ahead with their plans?

[The Earl of Courtown (Con)]

My Lords, we should pay tribute to the people of Greece who have opened their homes to many holidaymakers in their area. The FCDO travel advice should not impact people’s ability to claim insurance for things such as cancelled hotel bookings or flight changes, depending on their policy and level of cover. However, we recognise that some travel companies use FCDO advice as a reference point to their policies. Our travel advice is focused on ensuring the safety of British nationals and is designed to give people the detail they need to make an informed decision. Of course, our travel advice is always under review.