Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what criteria the Government used to determine why (a) Ethiopia, (b) Kenya, and (c) Nigeria are not included in the red list for travel for hotel quarantine.
Answered by Robert Courts
The criteria used to place travel bans on particular countries is based on the latest scientific and medical data, which show an increased risk to UK public health and an increased risk of community transmission of new COVID-19 variants identified. These are temporary measures and the government keeps data for countries and territories under constant review.
The government has made it consistently clear that it will take decisive action if the public health risk of people returning from a particular country without self-isolating becomes too high.
This list of countries with a travel ban remains under review, and the government will not hesitate to impose additional restrictions if the scientific and medical data from countries and territories change.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to taken to ensure the biosecurity of aircraft crews that may have been in a country on the red list during the covid-19 pandemic in the last 14 days.
Answered by Robert Courts
The Government has put in place robust border measures to prevent people travelling into the UK if they have Covid-19, including the requirement to present a negative Covid-19 test before departure. An entry ban is currently in place for the 33 countries identified as high risk (otherwise known as the ‘red list’), as well as direct flight ban for 7 of these countries.
The Government has worked with the travel industry to put in place safer travel guidance for both operators and passengers.
This guidance is clear that robust social distancing, regular cleaning, and good hand and respiratory hygiene are the best ways of protecting against the transmission of coronavirus.
Where this may not be possible - such as on board an aircraft - airlines are advised to carry out a risk assessment and implement appropriate risk controls. For example, wearing a face covering can play a role in helping to protect passengers and crew, which is now mandatory.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many general aviation flights originating in countries on the red list during the covid-19 pandemic operated (a) directly and (b) indirectly into UK airports in each of the last three months.
Answered by Robert Courts
Information on the number of commercially operated flights is collected by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), and is currently complete up to November 2020. The list of ‘red list’ countries was last updated on 29 January 2021, therefore the ‘red list’ designation did not apply at the time that the flights operated.
The data shows that in November 2020, flights operated into UK airports from countries which are now currently identified as ‘red list’ were as follows:
Complete data for December 2020 and January 2021 will be made available to the Department later in 2021.
The CAA does not collect data on General Aviation flights at UK airports by country of origin. Further timely information on overall volumes of flights directly performed to and from the UK across all types of flight operations (inclusive of passenger, cargo-only, military and general aviation flights) are made publicly available by Eurocontrol on their website, however breakdowns by country of origin and flight type are not routinely made available.
The Department does not hold statistics on indirect flights operating into UK airports.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) direct commercial, (b) indirect commercial and (c) cargo flights operated into UK airports from countries on the red list during the covid-19 pandemic in each of the last three months.
Answered by Robert Courts
Information on the number of commercially operated flights is collected by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), and is currently complete up to November 2020. The list of ‘red list’ countries was last updated on 29 January 2021, therefore the ‘red list’ designation did not apply at the time that the flights operated.
The data shows that in November 2020, flights operated into UK airports from countries which are now currently identified as ‘red list’ were as follows:
Complete data for December 2020 and January 2021 will be made available to the Department later in 2021.
The CAA does not collect data on General Aviation flights at UK airports by country of origin. Further timely information on overall volumes of flights directly performed to and from the UK across all types of flight operations (inclusive of passenger, cargo-only, military and general aviation flights) are made publicly available by Eurocontrol on their website, however breakdowns by country of origin and flight type are not routinely made available.
The Department does not hold statistics on indirect flights operating into UK airports.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether (a) passengers and (b) crews on flights arriving (i) directly and (ii) indirectly at general aviation airports in the UK from countries on the red list during the covid-19 pandemic will be subject to hotel quarantine procedures.
Answered by Robert Courts
As outlined by the Heath Secretary’s announcement to the House of Commons on 9 February 2021, new measures will come into force from 15 February 2021 to deliver robust measures, coupled with stronger enforcement action. A range of measures will apply to passengers and crew travelling from ‘red list’ countries, and those who have been in ‘red list’ countries in the past 10 days. Further guidance and information following this announcement will be issued in due course.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many times the (a) Captain and (b) First Officer of a scheduled flight into the UK (i) radioed and (ii) communicated ahead to (A) Airport Arrivals and (B) Air Traffic Control at each airport with a request in relation to a suspected case of covid-19 on their flight in each of the last five months.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The information requested is not held centrally. The information may be available from individual airports and air traffic control providers, which operate in the private sector.
Carriers have been requested to report on the health of passengers through General Aircraft Declarations (GAD) prior to disembarkation. This information is held by Public Health England.