Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the policy paper, New plan for immigration: legal migration and border control strategy, published by her Department on 20 July 2022, what estimate she has made of the potential costs to businesses in the tourism sector of implementing the proposed changes outlined in paragraphs 55-62 of that strategy.

The introduction of an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme will improve the security of the UK border. It also provides a multitude of opportunities to better facilitate tourism, business visits and improve passenger experience.

By knowing more about people in advance of travel, our ambition is to increase automation of passenger clearance at the border, improving the end-to-end customer journey, and promoting the UK as a top destination to do business and for tourism.

The introduction of the ETA scheme is in line with the system that already exists in other countries, including the USA, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The EU is also developing a similar system, (European Travel Information and Authorisation System - ETIAS), for those third country nationals who do not need a visa to travel to the Schengen area, which will include UK citizens.