Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the Government last reviewed the merits of its decision to exempt high value business travellers from existing covid-19 quarantine restrictions for international arrivals in England.

The Secretary of State must review the need for the requirements imposed by the “Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (England) Regulations 2020 (“the Regulations”) at least every 28 days. This means determining whether each of the requirements remain necessary to achieving the public health aims of the Regulations. The statutory review includes consideration of both the requirement for international arrivals to complete a Passenger Locator Form and the requirement to self-isolate for 10 days, as well as consideration of the package of the measures as a whole including exemptions. Each restriction is judged by reference to its continuing necessity as the pandemic develops; and based on the available information at each stage about the effectiveness and impact of the measures in reducing the domestic transmission from imported cases of COVID-19.

The last review of the Regulations was completed on 11th January 2021. The next review of the Regulations must be completed by 8th February 2021.