Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the High-value Business Travelers Exemption policy on (a) public health and (b) the rate of covid-19 transmission.

From 18 January, the exemption was removed along with all travel corridors meaning that these people will need to self-isolate on arrival until 10 days have passed since they last left a country outside of the Common Travel Area.

When in place, the exemption was narrowly designed such that individuals were only exempt when undertaking business activities that qualify for the exemption. They were otherwise required to self-isolate at all other times. Specific guidance was developed for this exemption which set out the steps to be taken to ensure that public health risks are minimised.