Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Liverpool Garston)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what meetings he has had with representatives of regional airports on the implementation of the Government's covid-19 quarantine policy; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Robert Courts
Ministers and officials have engaged extensively with the Aviation industry, including regional airports, throughout this crisis. We remain committed to an open engagement with the sector and continue to work with industry to establish relationships that will reflect Government’s priorities, both in terms of sharing information and giving industry the opportunity to feedback as policy develops, with the aim of helping retain jobs and return the sector to growth as soon as possible.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Liverpool Garston)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of flights that will be operated (a) into and (b) out of regional airports after the introduction of compulsory hotel based covid-19 quarantine measures on arrival into the UK.
Answered by Robert Courts
Airlines’ schedules are subject to change at short notice and it is for that reason that we have not made a formal assessment of the number of flights that will be operated after the introduction of the new managed quarantine measures.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Liverpool Garston)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the need to mitigate the effect of covid-19 quarantine measures on the aviation industry; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Robert Courts
The Government recognises that the aviation sector has been significantly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Firms can continue to draw upon the unprecedented package of measures announced by the Chancellor, including a Bank of England scheme for firms to raise capital, the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, Time to Pay flexibilities with tax bills, financial support for employees and VAT deferrals.
If businesses find themselves in severe and urgent financial difficulties, even following these unprecedented support measures, then we remain open to discussion about bespoke financial support, but only as a last resort. Any intervention would need to be on terms to protect the interests of taxpayers.
The Department for Transport works closely with HM Treasury on matters related to aviation.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Liverpool Garston)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what consultations his Department has undertaken with representatives of (a) Eurostar and the (b) airlines, (c) ferries, (d) ports and (e) airports industries on the implementation of the 14-day quarantine restrictions for people entering the UK during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The Department has worked closely and extensively with representatives of Eurostar, airlines, airports, ferries, and ports throughout this process. This has included identifying applicable exemptions from the self-isolation requirements.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Liverpool Garston)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many meetings he has had with Ministers of the HM Treasury to discuss the aviation industry in the last three months .
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The Department has been working closely with the aviation sector and HM Treasury to produce and support measures which will ensure there is sufficient capacity to protect global travel routes, continue repatriation, freight and maintain vital connectivity. The Secretary of State has met with other Ministerial colleagues including HMT Ministers sixteen times over the last three months, in addition to the many more meetings attended by Junior Ministers and DfT Officials to help achieve these goals.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Liverpool Garston)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the economic effect on (a) airlines and (b) airports of the 14-day quarantine restrictions for people entering the UK during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The Department for Transport has ensured the economic impact assessment, led by the Treasury, reflects the impacts the measures will have on the transport sector and the wider economy, and ensured specific and targeted exemptions to mitigate the impact.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Liverpool Garston)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on the financial effect on (a) the aviation sector and (b) the UK economy of the 14-day quarantine restrictions for people entering the UK during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The Department for Transport has ensured the economic impact assessment, led by the Treasury, reflects the impacts the measures will have on the transport sector and the wider economy, and ensured specific and targeted exemptions to mitigate the impact.