Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they made an assessment of the effects on the travel industry of their decision to require British citizens to quarantine when returning to the UK from France; and if so, what were the conclusions of that assessment.

The Government has always been clear that we will not hesitate to act immediately should the data show that countries risk ratings have changed. The decision on France was taken following the persistent presence of cases in France of the Beta variant, which was first identified in South Africa.

The Government recognises the challenging circumstances businesses in the travel industry face as a result of Covid-19, which is why we have provided an unprecedented package of support to protect jobs and businesses totalling over £350 billion. This includes support through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, support for businesses through grants and loans, business rates and VAT relief. We continue to take a flexible approach and keep all impacts and policies under review.