Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to review the adequacy and practicality of (a) the condition requiring applicants to apply for an exemption 14 days before their visit and (b) other conditions attached to the exemptions granted to people travelling from red list countries to the UK to visit dying relatives during the period of covid-19 travel restrictions.

The condition for individuals to apply at least 14 days in advance of their arrival is required due to the volume of exemption applications we are currently receiving and is necessary to ensure that all exemption requests, including the most complex cases, are treated with the appropriate care and attention. In complex cases, the process may involve requests for additional information, for which applicants need sufficient time to respond.