Asked by: Mike Weir (Scottish National Party - Angus)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will meet representatives of the Association of British Travel Agents and consumer groups to discuss changes to rules applying to penalty-free cancellation during periods of regional airstrikes by British forces.
Answered by James Duddridge
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office issues travel advice to help British nationals make their own informed decisions about foreign travel. We keep our travel advice under constant review and will update it according to any changes in our assessment of the threat to British nationals around the world. Although the Foreign and Commonwealth Office maintains a dialogue with Association of British Travel Agents about how the travel advice affects their members’ business, it is not the role of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to intervene in the regulation of the market by discussing changes to the rules applying to penalty-free cancellation.
Asked by: Mike Weir (Scottish National Party - Angus)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect on travellers with bookings to (a) Sharm el Sheikh and (b) other destinations in the Middle East of the period within which the right to penalty-free cancellation can be ascertained being within 14 days of travel.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
On 4 November 2015, we amended our Travel Advice to advise against all but essential travel by air to Sharm el-Sheikh. We have not changed our Travel Advice for the resort itself.
The FCO Travel Advice, available at www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, provides objective information and advice to help individuals make better-informed decisions about their travel. The Egypt page has been regularly updated to reflect developing events since the crash of the Russian airliner on 31 October. We regularly review our Travel Advice and all changes are made after careful analysis. Our only consideration is the safety of British Nationals.
The FCO is working with DfT and Egyptian counterparts to put in place permanent and sustainable measures to allow British flights to Sharm el-Sheikh to resume as soon as possible.
Refunds and cancellation penalties are a matter for the airlines. We are liaising closely with airlines to share information about the progress of our discussions with Egypt.
Asked by: Mike Weir (Scottish National Party - Angus)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will extend the validity period of travel advice applying to Sharm el Sheikh to provide certainty on the right to penalty-free cancellation (a) six weeks and (b) four weeks prior to departure.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
On 4 November 2015, we amended our Travel Advice to advise against all but essential travel by air to Sharm el-Sheikh. We have not changed our Travel Advice for the resort itself.
The FCO Travel Advice, available at www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, provides objective information and advice to help individuals make better-informed decisions about their travel. The Egypt page has been regularly updated to reflect developing events since the crash of the Russian airliner on 31 October. We regularly review our Travel Advice and all changes are made after careful analysis. Our only consideration is the safety of British Nationals.
The FCO is working with DfT and Egyptian counterparts to put in place permanent and sustainable measures to allow British flights to Sharm el-Sheikh to resume as soon as possible.
Refunds and cancellation penalties are a matter for the airlines. We are liaising closely with airlines to share information about the progress of our discussions with Egypt.
Asked by: Mike Weir (Scottish National Party - Angus)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he plans to issue revised travel advice for visitors from the UK with bookings for package holidays in Egypt departing in the next six weeks which use (a) the airport and (b) the resort at Sharm el Sheikh.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
On 4 November 2015, we amended our Travel Advice to advise against all but essential travel by air to Sharm el-Sheikh. We have not changed our Travel Advice for the resort itself.
The FCO Travel Advice, available at www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, provides objective information and advice to help individuals make better-informed decisions about their travel. The Egypt page has been regularly updated to reflect developing events since the crash of the Russian airliner on 31 October. We regularly review our Travel Advice and all changes are made after careful analysis. Our only consideration is the safety of British Nationals.
The FCO is working with DfT and Egyptian counterparts to put in place permanent and sustainable measures to allow British flights to Sharm el-Sheikh to resume as soon as possible.
Refunds and cancellation penalties are a matter for the airlines. We are liaising closely with airlines to share information about the progress of our discussions with Egypt.
Asked by: Mike Weir (Scottish National Party - Angus)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will assess the expected cost to UK consumers who elect to cancel booked package holidays to Sharm el Sheikh and other destinations in the Middle East scheduled to depart during the months of December 2015 and January 2016 where such cancellation is not penalty-free; and if he will make it his Department's policy to issue travel advice which will allow penalty-free cancellation for travel booked to depart during those months.
Answered by James Duddridge
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office travel advice provides information and advice so that British nationals can make their own better informed decisions about foreign travel. The Department for Business Innovation and Skills is responsible for regulation of the travel industry and it is not the role of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to intervene in the regulation of this market. British nationals who have booked package holidays should contact their travel company if they wish to cancel their booking. These holidays will be subject to the terms and conditions of the booking and the provisions of the Package Travel Regulations, which cover among other things changes between the time of booking and the time of travel. Where the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has advised against travel since a holiday has been booked, such as Sharm el Sheikh, it is unlikely that a penalty will be incurred.
Asked by: Mike Weir (Scottish National Party - Angus)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department, its executive agencies or non-departmental public bodies have funded or made contribution towards funding relating to nation branding development in any overseas state or territories in the last 10 years.
Answered by Lord Swire
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not directly funded any nation branding development in any overseas states or territories, nor have its executive agencies or non departmental public bodies. The British Council does not directly fund nation branding but, through its work building trust for the UK internationally, through cultural and educational exchanges for example, it benefits both the UK's and partner states' national brands on a reciprocal basis. Information on any co-funded nation branding activities carried out overseas is not held centrally and to collate this would incur disproportionate cost. Activities funded or carried out by an Overseas Territory Government to promote its own Territory is a matter of devolved responsibility.
Asked by: Mike Weir (Scottish National Party - Angus)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which nation branding consultancies have been funded or part-funded by his Department to work in overseas states and territories in the last 10 years; and what fees have been paid to each of those consultancies in each year since 2004.
Answered by Lord Swire
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not directly funded any nation branding consultancies to work in overseas states and territories. Information on any part funded nation branded consultancies working in overseas states and territories is not held centrally and to collate this would incur disproportionate cost.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has, however, previously paid subscription fees for the years 2009-2012 to Anholt-GfK Roper Nation Brands Index, a US based market and consumer information organisation which provides an analytical ranking to help measure and manage national reputation. The subscription costs were: for 2012: £30,597.44; for 2011: £29,554.50; for 2010: £31,141.41 and for 2009: £33,960.81.