Asked by: Neale Hanvey (Alba Party - Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the (a) performance, (b) expenditure, (c) exposure to fraud and (d) risk management of the management of cross border travel during the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
Implementation of COVID-19 border health measures for international travel was undertaken through department-led programmes. The costs of implementing individual measures were considered at a departmental level and tracked through standard budget management procedures. The Department for Transport did not incur any direct programme costs in 2020-21 and 2021-22 from implementing COVID-19 border health measures.
Asked by: Neale Hanvey (Alba Party - Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department has taken to assess the effectiveness of the management of cross border travel following the outbreak of covid-19; and what estimate he has made of the costs of those measures in each of the financial years since they were introduced.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
Implementation of COVID-19 border health measures for international travel was undertaken through department-led programmes. The costs of implementing individual measures were considered at a departmental level and tracked through standard budget management procedures. The Department for Transport did not incur any direct programme costs in 2020-21 and 2021-22 from implementing COVID-19 border health measures.
Asked by: Neale Hanvey (Alba Party - Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what mechanisms his Department has in place to evaluate the (a) value for money and (b) cost of the measures implemented in relation to the management of cross-border travel following the outbreak of covid-19.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
Implementation of COVID-19 border health measures for international travel was undertaken through department-led programmes. The costs of implementing individual measures were considered at a departmental level and tracked through standard budget management procedures. The Department for Transport did not incur any direct programme costs in 2020-21 and 2021-22 from implementing COVID-19 border health measures.
Asked by: Neale Hanvey (Alba Party - Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to allow UK citizens who have been fully vaccinated whilst working overseas, irrespective of location, to return to their families in the UK without requiring a hotel quarantine.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
Anyone travelling to the UK from a red list country will be required to quarantine in a managed quarantine service, irrespective of vaccination status.
Asked by: Neale Hanvey (Alba Party - Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with his French counterpart on recognition for UK driving licences in France after 31 December 2021.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
At the end of 2020, the Department for Transport had successfully agreed arrangements with all EU Member States - including France - for the mutual recognition of photocard licences. As such, UK photocard licence holders will not need to carry an additional International Driving Permit when driving in France – nor any EU Member State. We have also secured interim arrangements with the French authorities which will allow UK licence holders resident in France, to continue to use their valid UK licence until 1 January 2022. We are working with the French Government to finalise a permanent licence exchange agreement.
Asked by: Neale Hanvey (Alba Party - Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to publish the covid-19 recovery plan for the aviation sector..
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The impact of a second wave of COVID and the need for the Government to respond has impacted on the aviation sector.
The government has therefore announced through the Global Travel Taskforce, a number of measures to assist the sector to restart over the winter period. This includes the ‘Test to release for international travel’ (TTR) which will boost consumer confidence in air travel.
Following the successful implementation of these measures, the government will then put forward its strategic framework for the medium and long-term recovery of the aviation sector.
Asked by: Neale Hanvey (Alba Party - Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has in place to ensure that UK-based pilots with an EASA licence can continue to work unrestricted in the EU from 1 January 2021 without incurring the costs of converting their licence to maintain those licence privileges in EASA member states.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
In the event that mutual recognition of EU Member State/UK pilot licences ceases at the end of the transition period, pilots with UK-issued licences who wish to fly EU-registered aircraft would need to transfer their licence to a European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) member state before the transition period ended, or subsequently seek a second licence from an EASA member state. The UK has no control over the charges that may be applied by an EASA Member State for this process.
Pilots currently holding a commercial licence from an EASA member state would need to seek a time-limited validation from the UK’s CAA to operate UK-registered aircraft outside the UK. The CAA has developed processes to make this as seamless as possible and with no associated cost.
Asked by: Neale Hanvey (Alba Party - Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to protect regional connectivity in the UK following the collapse of Flybe.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The Government recognises the impact Flybe’s collapse and the subsequent COVID-19 constraints on services, regional airports, regional economies and connectivity across the UK. We are working with industry to identify where key routes are being re-established and we remain committed to supporting regional connectivity, recognising the importance of maintaining a thriving competitive aviation sector in the UK to deliver this. In May the Government announced a £5.7million funding package of measures,?temporarily supporting?two airlinks,?from Belfast and Londonderry to London,?and associated airport services at City of Derry Airport and Belfast City Airport. The funding package ensured that lifeline connectivity services continued to both Belfast and Londonderry during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Government has provided an unprecedented package of measures to support the UK economy. These measures are open to businesses across the aviation sector and include a Bank of England scheme for firms to raise capital, Time to Pay flexibilities with tax bills, financial support for employees and VAT deferrals.?In exceptional circumstances, where a viable company has exhausted all options and its failure would disproportionately harm the economy, the Government is prepared to enter discussions with individual companies seeking bespoke support as a last resort. Any intervention would need to represent value for money for taxpayers. We will continue to engage with stakeholders across the sector, including regional airports, to understand the situations they face.
The Chancellor has announced that there will be a consultation on aviation tax reform. As part of this consultation, the Government will consider the case for changing the APD treatment of domestic flights, such as reintroducing a return leg exemption, and for increasing the number of international distance bands
The Government remains committed to supporting regional connectivity across all transport modes, as well as the importance of maintaining a thriving competitive aviation sector in the UK to deliver connectivity. The Department is currently working on a recovery plan for the sector out to 2025. The plan will have a strong focus on regional connectivity and will be developed in consultation with industry for an Autumn publication.