Asked by: Thangam Debbonaire (Labour - Bristol West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the standard and adequacy of covid-19 quarantine arrangements for UK citizens on arrival in specific countries when publishing travel guidance on those countries.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Travel Advice provides information to help British nationals make informed decisions about foreign travel and remains under constant review to ensure it reflects our latest assessment of risks to British nationals. The border entry requirements in overseas destinations are the responsibility of host governments. FCDO Travel Advice pages have an entry requirements section that reflects the current rules at each destination. We encourage British nationals to monitor our travel advice when planning their trip.
Asked by: Shabana Mahmood (Labour - Birmingham, Ladywood)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what formal (a) complaints and (b) other processes are in place to ensure that the hotels being used for covid-19 quarantine following international travel are held accountable by (i) service users and (ii) his Department.
Answered by Maggie Throup
The Department contracts Managed Quarantine Service hotels via Corporate Travel Management (CTM). Initial complaints are raised with CTM to address with hotels. In addition, the Department has deployed liaison officers to liaise with hotels in England to ensure that Standard Operating Procedures are being adhered to in line with any contractual standards. The Department’s contract management and commercial teams monitor standards and performance and will terminate contracts where performance or standards remain below requirements.
Asked by: Shabana Mahmood (Labour - Birmingham, Ladywood)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether hotels that are being used for covid-19 quarantine following international travel are required to conduct risk assessments for people who are quarantining there.
Answered by Maggie Throup
Prior to any hotel or establishment becoming a Managed Quarantine Service (MQS) facility, a complete risk assessment is carried out. MQS hotels comply fully with all regulatory and legislative requirements including those relating to health and safety, COVID-19 protocols and fire risk. All assessments incorporate guidance from Public Health England and the Health and Safety Executive.
Asked by: Shabana Mahmood (Labour - Birmingham, Ladywood)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what medical duty of care exists for hotel providers being used for covid-19 quarantine following international travel.
Answered by Maggie Throup
The duty of care for medical provision should a passenger or guest present with symptoms other than COVID-19 rests with the National Health Service. All managed quarantine facilities’ staff, security and testing staff ensure that every guest is kept in a safe environment and that the potential for exposure to others within the facility who may have tested positive for COVID-19 is minimised.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will expedite decisions on applications for exemption to managed quarantine from applicants seeking to return to UK in response to relatives becoming seriously ill.
Answered by Maggie Throup
All requests for exemptions from Managed Quarantine are carefully considered. In extremely limited circumstances, an exemption on compassionate grounds may be granted. To expedite the decision-making process applicants should provide supporting medical evidence and apply at least 14 days before travel. Requests for exemptions are identified and prioritised in the same way and applications processed in order of receipt and prioritised based on the proposed date of travel.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to recognise, for the purposes of exemption from managed quarantine, AstraZeneca covid-19 vaccinations given to UK citizens in Gambia through the World Health Organisation's COVAX programme.
Answered by Maggie Throup
We do not exempt people from managed quarantine based on vaccination status. Gambia is not a designated ‘red list’ country, so travellers to the United Kingdom are not required to enter managed quarantine unless they have transited through a country on the ‘red list’.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will put in place contractual arrangements to disapply accommodation fees and pay compensation to residents who have witnessed a rat in their room in a quarantine hotel in connection with covid-19 travel restrictions.
Answered by Maggie Throup
A single complaint was reported in one managed quarantine facility. Following this incident, a full risk assessment was carried out by the hotel, including introduction of improved vermin controls and subsequently an environmental health officer upon inspection gave the facility a five-star rating, which is the highest rating that can be achieved. There has been no indication of vermin or further sightings reported by staff or guests in other managed quarantine hotels.
We work closely with the hospitality sector providing quarantine accommodation and continue to monitor the operation of the managed quarantine service to ensure it remains appropriate Our facilities team work directly with local environmental health teams to ensure that the accommodation offered meets the appropriate hygiene and cleanliness standards and is safe for all guests. In this specific instance, the guest and other occupants were not removed from the facility to prevent the risk to public health and potential transmission to other locations.
To ensure all our managed quarantine hotels are safe environments, we have standard operating procedures (SOPs), testing and infection prevention control processes for staff and guests. Each hotel has dedicated Departmental on-site liaison officers who monitor compliance with SOPs and report back compliance issues, breaches, opportunities to improve services and other matters including health and safety breaches.
Within the Managed Quarantine Service (MQS), we have introduced an assessed refund policy. All complaints are dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Where appropriate we give guests full or partial refunds where it is evidentially proven that the service we offer has not met MQS facility standards.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason residents have not been moved to alternative accommodation after rats have been found to be present in their existing quarantine hotel.
Answered by Maggie Throup
A single complaint was reported in one managed quarantine facility. Following this incident, a full risk assessment was carried out by the hotel, including introduction of improved vermin controls and subsequently an environmental health officer upon inspection gave the facility a five-star rating, which is the highest rating that can be achieved. There has been no indication of vermin or further sightings reported by staff or guests in other managed quarantine hotels.
We work closely with the hospitality sector providing quarantine accommodation and continue to monitor the operation of the managed quarantine service to ensure it remains appropriate Our facilities team work directly with local environmental health teams to ensure that the accommodation offered meets the appropriate hygiene and cleanliness standards and is safe for all guests. In this specific instance, the guest and other occupants were not removed from the facility to prevent the risk to public health and potential transmission to other locations.
To ensure all our managed quarantine hotels are safe environments, we have standard operating procedures (SOPs), testing and infection prevention control processes for staff and guests. Each hotel has dedicated Departmental on-site liaison officers who monitor compliance with SOPs and report back compliance issues, breaches, opportunities to improve services and other matters including health and safety breaches.
Within the Managed Quarantine Service (MQS), we have introduced an assessed refund policy. All complaints are dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Where appropriate we give guests full or partial refunds where it is evidentially proven that the service we offer has not met MQS facility standards.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the safety of children staying in quarantine hotels including where there are rats in that accommodation
Answered by Maggie Throup
A single complaint was reported in one managed quarantine facility. Following this incident, a full risk assessment was carried out by the hotel, including introduction of improved vermin controls and subsequently an environmental health officer upon inspection gave the facility a five-star rating, which is the highest rating that can be achieved. There has been no indication of vermin or further sightings reported by staff or guests in other managed quarantine hotels.
We work closely with the hospitality sector providing quarantine accommodation and continue to monitor the operation of the managed quarantine service to ensure it remains appropriate Our facilities team work directly with local environmental health teams to ensure that the accommodation offered meets the appropriate hygiene and cleanliness standards and is safe for all guests. In this specific instance, the guest and other occupants were not removed from the facility to prevent the risk to public health and potential transmission to other locations.
To ensure all our managed quarantine hotels are safe environments, we have standard operating procedures (SOPs), testing and infection prevention control processes for staff and guests. Each hotel has dedicated Departmental on-site liaison officers who monitor compliance with SOPs and report back compliance issues, breaches, opportunities to improve services and other matters including health and safety breaches.
Within the Managed Quarantine Service (MQS), we have introduced an assessed refund policy. All complaints are dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Where appropriate we give guests full or partial refunds where it is evidentially proven that the service we offer has not met MQS facility standards.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many quarantine hotels have had sightings of rats (a) in the bedrooms, (b) in the common areas and (c) in staff areas, including kitchens; and what steps he is taking to tackle the presence of rats in those hotels.
Answered by Maggie Throup
A single complaint was reported in one managed quarantine facility. Following this incident, a full risk assessment was carried out by the hotel, including introduction of improved vermin controls and subsequently an environmental health officer upon inspection gave the facility a five-star rating, which is the highest rating that can be achieved. There has been no indication of vermin or further sightings reported by staff or guests in other managed quarantine hotels.
We work closely with the hospitality sector providing quarantine accommodation and continue to monitor the operation of the managed quarantine service to ensure it remains appropriate Our facilities team work directly with local environmental health teams to ensure that the accommodation offered meets the appropriate hygiene and cleanliness standards and is safe for all guests. In this specific instance, the guest and other occupants were not removed from the facility to prevent the risk to public health and potential transmission to other locations.
To ensure all our managed quarantine hotels are safe environments, we have standard operating procedures (SOPs), testing and infection prevention control processes for staff and guests. Each hotel has dedicated Departmental on-site liaison officers who monitor compliance with SOPs and report back compliance issues, breaches, opportunities to improve services and other matters including health and safety breaches.
Within the Managed Quarantine Service (MQS), we have introduced an assessed refund policy. All complaints are dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Where appropriate we give guests full or partial refunds where it is evidentially proven that the service we offer has not met MQS facility standards.