Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with representatives of British Airways on financial support for (a) cabin crew and (b) pilots.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
Ministers and officials have engaged extensively with the aviation industry throughout the pandemic and continue to do so. In total, we estimate that by the end of September 2021 the air transport sector (airlines, airports and related services) will have benefited from around £7bn of Government support since the start of the pandemic. This included the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), Covid Corporate Financing Facility and Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Scheme.
On 3 March 2021, the Government extended the CJRS until 30 September 2021 and furloughed employees will continue to receive 80% (up to £2,500) of their current salary with the Government currently contributing 60% of this.
British Airways reported that it expected to receive a total of £279m in relief under the CJRS for the 12 months to the end of December 2020 and had applied the CJRS to more than 30,000 cabin crew and ground-based employees; and it has continued to make use of the CJRS in 2021.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of closing the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme on the travel industry; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of a sector-specific extension to that scheme for industries which will not have fully reopened by September.
Answered by Jesse Norman
In order to aid businesses and employees, at Budget 2021 the Government extended the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) for a further five months from May until the end of September 2021, at which point the CJRS will close. Furloughed workers in the UK will continue to receive more generous support than those in many other countries, as the CJRS ensures employees receive 80 per cent of their current salary for hours not worked, up to £2,500 per month. As the economy reopened and demand returned, the Government asked employers to make a small additional contribution of 10 per cent towards the cost of paying for unworked hours, from July. As the economy reopens further, this employer contribution has increased to 20 per cent in August and September.
It is right to continue with the existing timetable to reintroduce employer contributions, in order to strike the right balance between supporting the economy as it opens up, continuing to provide support and protect incomes, and ensuring incentives are in place to get people back to work as demand returns. At the end of June the number of jobs furloughed was as its lowest since the scheme began, at 1.9 million jobs furloughed. Almost three million jobs have moved off the furlough scheme since March as the economy began to bounce back and businesses reopened.
The Government recognises the challenging circumstances facing the travel sector as a result of COVID-19 and firms experiencing difficulties can draw upon the unprecedented package of measures announced by the Chancellor, including schemes to raise capital and flexibilities with tax bills. The aerospace sector and its aviation customers are being supported with over £11 billion made available through loan guarantees, support for exporters, the Bank of England’s Covid Corporate Financing Facility and grants for research and development.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the potential number of job losses in the travel industry following the end of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme was designed as a temporary, economy-wide measure to support businesses while widespread restrictions were in place. Closing the scheme at the end of September is designed to strike the right balance between supporting the economy as it opens up, continuing to provide support and protect incomes, and ensuring incentives are in place to get people back to work as demand returns. This approach has worked; the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Report (MPR) forecasts that the unemployment rate will on average be around 4.7% across Q3 and Q4, a downwards revision from the May MPR which projected unemployment to peak at 5.4% in Q3 and below the OBR Spring forecast (6.5% in the final quarter of 2021).
The Government recognises the particular challenges the travel industry has faced as a result of COVID-19. In England travel agents have recently benefited from Restart Grants worth up to £6,000, and can continue to benefit from the £2 billion of discretionary grant funding that has been made available to local authorities in England through the Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG), while the aviation and aerospace sectors are being supported with over £11 billion that has been made available through loan guarantees, support for exporters, the Bank of England’s Covid Corporate Financing Facility (CCFF) and grants for research and development. In addition, airports continue to benefit from the renewed Airport and Ground Operations Support Scheme announced at Budget.
The Global Travel Taskforce (GTT) report sets out a clear framework for the Government’s objective of establishing a safe and sustainable return to international travel, which is key to enabling the sector’s recovery. It has been created following extensive engagement with the international travel and tourism industries, and changes following the recent checkpoint review of the GTT are a vital step in enabling the recovery of travel operators and those whose jobs rely on the travel industry.
The Government has shown throughout the pandemic that it is prepared to adapt support if the path of the virus changes. It continues to engage closely with sectors across the economy, including the travel industry, to understand their recovery horizons as the vaccine is rolled out and restrictions ease.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 14 July 2021 to Question 29826 on Coronavirus: Vaccination and in the context of UK travellers reportedly refused entry by Malta, what discussions he has had with EU officials on vaccination certificates.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
Following our discussions, the Maltese Government confirmed on 15 July that they will accept all COVID-19 vaccines approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and all United Kingdom travel advice was updated.
We are actively engaging with other Member States and organisations, including the International Civil Aviation Organisation and the World Health Organization.
Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to review the powers of the Civil Aviation Authority in response to the impact of covid-19 on the aviation sector.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
We continue to work with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) supporting the response to the pandemic across a range of areas. We have no plans for a comprehensive review of the CAA’s powers. However, there are areas where the pandemic has required changes to the role of the CAA, and others where the Government will keep policy under review. For example, the Government will be consulting later this year on more flexible and modern tools to protect consumers whilst travelling by air, including reforming the CAA’s enforcement powers where airlines breach consumer rights.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had discussions with airline staff to help ensure that covid-19 safety regulations are being (a) followed and (b) enforced.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The government expects all airlines to manage the risks of COVID-19 transmission and have issued detailed guidance on the processes and checks airline staff need to carry out to keep the public safe.
The Department regularly undertakes engagement with the aviation sector, at all levels, in relation to their obligations under Covid-19 regulations when conveying passengers to and from our borders. The Department flags where compliance is unacceptable and works with other agencies and departments to address this with industry.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what support he is providing to maintain jobs in the travel industry during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Government recognises the challenging circumstances facing the aviation and travel sectors because of Covid-19 and firms experiencing difficulties can draw upon the unprecedented package of measures announced by the Chancellor.
In total, we estimate that by the end of September 2021, the air transport sector will have benefitted from around £7bn of Government support since the start of the pandemic. This includes support through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), which was extended until 30 September 2021. From official statistics from HM Revenue and Customs, we estimate around 50% of air transport sector employees are currently furloughed using the CJRS.
In February the Department for Transport also launched the Aviation Skills Retention Platform which allows former and current aviation sector workers who are currently out of work to register their skills, so they can be notified of relevant jobs opportunities, advice and upskilling opportunities.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with the aviation industry on the number of flights being undertaken with two metre social distancing in place between different households and bubbles.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
We continue to engage with the aviation sector on a regular basis, including on social distancing and other health measures. We consulted with the sector prior to developing the Government’s operator and passenger guidance and advised airlines to carry out a risk assessment and implement appropriate risk controls where social distancing was not possible. Wearing a face covering, which is mandatory on-board aircraft, can play a role in helping to prevent transmission of COVID-19, as can regular hand-washing and sanitisation.
Passengers are seated facing forwards in the same direction on board aircraft, which avoids the increased transmission risk of being seated face to face. In addition, air conditioning systems on modern aircraft do filter cabin air every few minutes. These filters are very effective at capturing airborne microbes in the filtered air and, when coupled with the drawn in fresh air, can help to mitigate the longer-range risk of transmission.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of making targeted financial support available for travel businesses for as long as covid-19 restrictions continue to remain in place for the travel industry.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Government recognises the challenging circumstances aviation and associated business face as a result of Covid-19. Firms, across the economy, that are experiencing difficulties have been able to draw upon the unprecedented package of measures announced by the Chancellor. This includes support through loan guarantees, the Bank of England’s Covid Corporate Financing Facility and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
The extension of Government-backed loans and furlough payments announced at the Budget build on the support package available and will help ensure this vital and vibrant part of the UK economy is ready to bounce back in the wake of the pandemic.
We continue to take a flexible approach and keep all impacts and policies under review.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the risk to public health caused by people who have been fully vaccinated against covid-19 travelling together in an aircraft with high efficiency particulate air filters in use; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
Vaccination greatly reduces transmission and two doses provide a very high degree of protection against serious illness and death. Air conditioning systems on modern aircraft filter cabin air every few minutes through High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters. These filters are very effective at capturing airborne microbes in the filtered air and, when coupled with the drawn in fresh air, can help to mitigate the longer-range risk of transmission.