Covid-19: UK Border Health Measures Debate

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Department: Home Office

Covid-19: UK Border Health Measures

Robert Goodwill Excerpts
Wednesday 3rd June 2020

(4 years, 2 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Priti Patel Portrait Priti Patel
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The hon. Gentleman is right to raise the matter of economics. This issue has been discussed in various economic Committees at government level. I have also been speaking about it with the Chancellor and working across Government with my colleagues. It is important to reflect on the fact that we have had those discussions and that impact assessments have been undertaken by Government Departments in the right kind of way.

Robert Goodwill Portrait Mr Robert Goodwill (Scarborough and Whitby) (Con)
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Three hundred people are working safely today, constructing the £4 billion Anglo-American Sirius mine in North Yorkshire. The driving of the one-mile deep shaft and the 23-mile-long tunnel to Teesport does require a small number of specialist engineers from places such as Germany and Austria living in specialist accommodation away from their families. Can my right hon. Friend give me an assurance that workers such as these will be part of the exemption from the quarantine?

Priti Patel Portrait Priti Patel
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I understand the case that my hon. Friend makes. We do, of course, have an extensive exemption list for specialist skills and individuals that are required for key projects and key work. I will take away the full details of the case and raise them with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.