"I thank the hon. Member for her urgent question. The introduction of electronic travel authorisations—ETAs, as they are known—is part of plans to modernise and digitise the UK’s border and immigration system by providing a much clearer picture of who intends to travel to the UK for short periods. ETAs …..." Mike Tapp - View Speech
"I thank the hon. Member for her response to my answer. I am clear that there has been no mishandling from the Home Office on this important issue. As I said in my speech, this has been on the Government website since 2024. We have also spent significant sums of …..." Mike Tapp - View Speech
"My suggestion at this point is that my hon. Friend’s constituents visit the Government website and call the support line to see what advice can be offered. I cannot go into specific details right now about that case, but if she comes to my drop-in session on Monday, where there …..." Mike Tapp - View Speech
"Agreement across the House on much of this is welcome, despite the mess that we inherited from the previous Government on immigration.
On the question of consular services, yes, they are in place but they are limited. They are for the most extreme cases such as bereavements and funerals or …..." Mike Tapp - View Speech
"I reject some of the framing. This has been public knowledge since 2023, it has been on the Government website since 2024 and we have spent significant funds on media. Communication is always difficult, and if this were extended for another year there would still be people who might not …..." Mike Tapp - View Speech
"I find the framing of this absolutely absurd—it is nonsense. There have been years in planning from the officials and Ministers. As I said, this has been in the public domain for some years. For those looking to travel for emergencies, there are emergency travel documents, and I urge them …..." Mike Tapp - View Speech
"I thank my hon. Friend for that important point on babies. There is no exemption at this time; I am happy to meet and talk about that further. At the moment, the average turnaround time is nine days, so the four weeks should not be a problem. If there are …..." Mike Tapp - View Speech
"We cannot open ETAs to British citizens for the reasons I explained in my statement. The turnaround time on these applications is good; we are looking at within four weeks and, on average, nine days, but as I have said to many Members, please do bring that specific case to …..." Mike Tapp - View Speech
"I would urge a meeting on Monday to go through the details of this, rather than trying to break it down in the glare of the public eye...." Mike Tapp - View Speech
"I thank the hon. Member for his question. I will ignore the rant about Brexit—we are well past that. Whenever anyone in this House, in the Gallery or at home seeks to travel, the first place they should go is the Government website, to receive travel advice. We do not …..." Mike Tapp - View Speech