Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the prevalence of people from covid-19 red list countries seeking to enter the UK via third countries; and if she will make a statement.

The United Kingdom has some of the most stringent border measures in the world including implementing a three-test regime and requiring all those travelling from Red or Amber List countries to self-isolate for 10 days. Travellers from Red List countries must quarantine in a designated Managed Quarantine Hotel.

Every essential check introduced – from testing to the Passenger Locator Form – is helping to reduce the risk of new coronavirus variants making it into the UK.

Border Force assesses routes used to travel into the UK. The vast majority of people identified as having travelled indirectly from a red list country are compliant with health measure requirements.

Border Force works with the Department for Health and Social Care and the Department for Transport to identify passengers who are attempting to circumvent the managed quarantine requirements and has successfully done so on previous occasions.

All arrivals into the UK are checked, both by carriers and Border Force, to ensure they are complying with requirements. Further checks are made after entry to make sure people are quarantining when required and further action may be taken by the Isolation Assurance and Compliance Service and the police. Breaches can incur fines of up to £10,000.