Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the collapse of Thomas Cook, what steps they intend to take, if any, to help protect tour operators from bankruptcies.

It is the responsibility of directors to decide when a business is no longer a going concern. It is not the role of government to decide on the viability of a business.

As part of its duty to protect consumers, the CAA closely monitors tour operators and airlines through its management of the ATOL scheme and has strong working relationships with the UK travel sector.

Now that the repatriation operation is complete, our efforts will be focused on ensuring that reforms are brought forward, taking into account the lessons learned from both the Thomas Cook and Monarch failures.