Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to retain the remaining funds from the £75 million allocated to his Department to support the repatriation of UK citizens stranded abroad as a result of the covid-19 pandemic to repatriate such people during future waves of covid-19 infection.
As noted in our response to the FAC report, the £75 million to support repatriation operations was a maximum limit, not a target to be met. In the event that we need to repatriate British travellers during a future wave of COVID-19 infection, we will look to find the funds within the department and, if appropriate, apply to the HM Treasury Reserve and draw down further funding up to the maximum of £75 million.