(Torfaen) (Lab)
(Urgent Question): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home
Department if she will make a statement on Covid protections at
the UK border.
The Secretary of State for the Home Department ()
From January 2020, the Government have had a comprehensive
strategy for public health measures at the border. The Foreign,
Commonwealth and Development Office swiftly discouraged all but
essential travel to China and announced that anybody entering the
UK from Wuhan should self-isolate for 14 days.
In February, advice from the Scientific Advisory Group for
Emergencies recommended that those from Thailand, Japan, the
Republic of Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia and
Macau, and those who were symptomatic, should also self-isolate,
and regulations were introduced to allow officers to detain and
direct individuals. In March, the Foreign, Commonwealth and
Development Office advised against all non-essential travel,
initially for 30 days. On 23 March, the Prime Minister advised
that everyone should stay at home and travel only for essential
purposes.
A raft of measures followed in May, including 14 days’
self-isolation, passenger locator forms and fines for those who
failed to comply with those mandatory conditions. In July, the
Government announced the introduction of the international travel
corridors. The countries on those travel corridor lists were kept
under constant review and removed as the risk of importing
covid-19 increased.
However, as the safeguarding of the vaccine roll-out has become
the Government’s priority, we have introduced stricter controls.
In December, following the identification of the new variant of
the virus, we introduced a travel ban on arrivals from South
Africa, later extending to a ban on South America and Portugal.
We suspended travel corridors and required all passengers to show
proof of a negative coronavirus test before they embark on their
journey to the UK. Anyone arriving must also self-isolate for 10
days.
Those new measures are being robustly enforced to keep the public
safe. Passengers must continue to fill in a passenger locator
form, and those who fail to comply face a £500 fine. Carriers are
under a legal obligation to check that each passenger has proof
of a negative test, and are liable for a fine of £2,000 for not
complying. To date, Border Force has checked an estimated 3.7
million passenger locator forms, issued more than 2,300 fixed
penalty notices and referred more than 22,000 cases to the
police.
The UK has a world-leading vaccination programme that should all
be proud of. It is therefore right that the Government continue
to do everything we can to protect the roll-out of the vaccine
from new strains of the virus. We keep all measures under review
and will not hesitate to take further action to protect the
public.
I am grateful to you, Mr Speaker, for granting this urgent
question, and to the Home Secretary for her response. It is good
to see her in her place, and I hope we will see her there again
to answer questions about how 400,000 police records were deleted
and give us the promised update on that matter.
The efforts of the British people and the hopes of the vaccine
are being undermined by the Government’s inability to secure our
borders against covid. Conservative incompetence is putting our
country at risk. Labour is calling for a comprehensive hotel
quarantine system, with protections to secure us against new
strains. It cannot be restricted to only a handful of countries,
leaving gaping holes in our defences against different strains of
the virus emerging around the world. The Government must also
announce a sector support package for aviation.
The Government’s proposals being briefed to the press are
half-baked and will be ineffective. As ever, it is too little,
too late. From the start of the pandemic, the Government’s
handling of measures at the border has been chaotic. There has
not been a comprehensive strategy as the Home Secretary
suggested. Indeed, from January last year to 23 March, only 273
people were formally quarantined. I wrote to the Home Secretary
in April and asked her to learn the lessons of that, but still by
May the UK was an international outlier, with virtually no travel
controls.
When formal quarantining was introduced in June, the policy was
so badly handled that it was ineffective. It is not being
properly enforced, and the Government’s own figures show that
only 3% of people are being successfully contacted to ensure that
they are observing the quarantine. Even the introduction of
mandatory testing was delayed because the Government could not
get the structures in place.
On the briefed plans for hotel quarantine, can the Home Secretary
confirm when formal plans will be introduced? Will they be
comprehensive or limited to a few countries? If they are limited,
how will that be acceptable when the quarantining system is in
such disarray? Put simply, what confidence can the public have in
the Government on this issue if Ministers are not prepared to
learn from their own mistakes?
Let me begin by saying that I welcome the hon. Gentleman giving
us a chance to discuss these measures. He has also mentioned the
police national computer, about which we will provide an update
in due course; I can give him that reassurance.
There has been a comprehensive strategy across Government, and it
dates back to 27 January last year. The hon. Gentleman will be
fully aware and sighted of that. It started with travel advice
from the FCO, followed by guidance from SAGE from 10 February
last year. New statutory instruments, including regulations, were
introduced, and there were new powers for the medical profession
and the police to detain individuals carrying symptoms of
coronavirus. Guidance was issued to airports in February last
year around how to handle coronavirus, and there was a flurry of
travel advice. That was supported by self-isolation measures and,
in March, the Coronavirus Act 2020. There was a parcel of
mandatory quarantine, passenger locator forms, shutting the
border with Denmark when the new strain was identified, test and
release, banning flights from South Africa, pre-travel tests and
carrier liability.
This is a comprehensive approach and strategy. It is important to
note that throughout, when it comes to coronavirus and measures
at the border that involve other Departments, the measures set
out have naturally come with logistical and operational
challenges. I take this opportunity to thank our operational
partners—our airports, in particular, and Border Force, which has
been on the frontline day in and day out, checking passengers. I
mentioned earlier the number of checks, and Border Force is now
checking 100% of passengers arriving in the UK. We have the
isolation assurance service, which is increasing the number of
checks to 5,000 a day. The National Police Chiefs’ Council is
already surging capacity to provide those checks.
The hon. Gentleman has referred to newspaper reports and
speculation. It would be wrong of me to speculate about any
measures that are not in place right now, as policy is being
developed. He spoke about quarantining, and he claims that the
Labour party has been calling for tougher restrictions. If I may
say so, his party should reflect on its position. In August last
year, the hon. Gentleman himself called quarantine “a blunt
tool”. In July, the shadow Transport Secretary, the hon. Member
for Oldham West and Royton (), said that quarantine measures should be “lessened”.
In June last year, the Leader of the Opposition also said that
the system was “a blunt instrument”.
Measures are always under review, and it is right that the
Government review all measures. As I have said, we have a
world-leading vaccination programme. We are proud of that
programme, and the Government will do everything that they can to
protect that vaccine from new strains of the virus.
(Ashford) (Con)
[V]
I commend my right hon. Friend for her unwavering commitment to
keeping our borders secure. In that context, she will know that
in Kent we of course support that, but we also support the free
flow of legitimate haulage traffic across the channel not just
for the sake of the national economy but to keep our local roads
flowing freely as well. Can she assure me that any new measures
will not impede the flow of freight traffic through the tunnel
and across the channel?
My right hon. Friend is absolutely right. I thank him, as a Kent
MP, for the work he has been doing, particularly on flow and
hauliers. We absolutely have throughout the last 12
months—through difficulties as well, if we recall back in
December—protected the flow of freight and critical supplies.
That will continue.
(Edinburgh South West) (SNP) [V]
It is simply not accurate to say that there has been a
comprehensive strategy in place since January 2020, and it is
really quite extraordinary that a Home Secretary previously so
obsessed with stopping people from entering the country and
deporting those already here should have taken so long to
properly address covid protections at the UK border.
As the Home Secretary knows, in April and May last year I wrote
to her asking for comprehensive health protections at the border,
and I referred to the measures that had been introduced in other
countries in Europe and across the world. Last week, the Home
Secretary admitted that we should have closed our borders
earlier, so why did she fail to take precautions that she knew
were needed? What stopped her? Was it her Cabinet colleagues? If
so, why did she not resign and speak out, given the risk of
increased transmission from people entering the country?
Finally, it is good that four-nations discussions are now taking
place, but it is the Home Office that collects and holds
passenger data, and the UK Border Force, as the Home Secretary
explained, reports to the Home Office, a UK Government
Department. Can she confirm that all proper co-operation will be
afforded to the devolved Governments going forward?
I think it is fair to say that the hon. and learned Lady and I
will disagree on a number of things, including her opening
remarks on the Government’s strategy. I have already outlined
them, so I do not need to run through the range of measures that
have been undertaken, but I would just like to reflect on a point
she made about co-operation across the four nations. She will be
very well aware that co-operation has taken place from the outset
through the introduction of travel corridors and through the work
of the UK Border Force across the United Kingdom. If I may say
so, it does that incredibly well at our ports and airports across
the UK. In fact, earlier last year I visited many of our Border
Force officers in Scotland, both at Edinburgh and Glasgow. The
co-operation is incredibly strong. The dialogue always continues
and does exist. That will continue as, potentially, measures may
change, as they have done throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
(Bury
South) (Con)
I thank my right hon. Friend for her statement on the work being
done by our Border Force. Does she agree that while our efforts
to contain the original coronavirus strain were working, because
of the increased transmissibility of the new strains it is right
that we re-evaluate the work being done at our borders?
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. Throughout the pandemic, we
should all reflect on the way in which it has changed all our
lives, but also on how it has touched our lives in many, many
ways, and sad ways. All our measures have been under review, and
that will continue at the border and with regard to the vaccine
roll-out, as my hon. Friend points out.
(Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford) (Lab) [V]
The Home Secretary lifted all the self-isolation rules for
travellers on 13 March last year. In the following 10 days, up to
10,000 people with covid arrived in the UK, making the pandemic
worse. Lessons must be learnt this time. Further delays in
strengthening quarantine and testing are a serious problem. Can
she tell me why we saw crowded scenes at Heathrow on Friday at
the UK border—the very opposite of quarantine? Is it true that
for months people have been waiting for hours in those queues in
unsafe circumstances? Is it true that the Border Force lifted
some of the checks that she just said were being applied to 100%
of passengers, because those queues were unsafe?
The Chair of the Home Affairs Committee will be aware, with
regard to her comments about last year, that the advice from
Government was to stay at home, and clearly the point of that was
not to travel. She asked, rightly, about the scenes at Heathrow
airport at the weekend, and the fact is that those queues
materialised because of the compliance checks that Border Force
had put in place. I would like to thank Heathrow airport,
because, as she will also be aware, we—colleagues in Border
Force—work with the airport operators on social distancing
measures at the airport. That is a joint piece of work that takes
place, and all airports take responsibility for their work and
how they manage their flows. Border Force, in particular, is
there to enforce the checks, as it does now, achieving 100%
coverage. It is also now working with London Heathrow airport’s
assistant organisation—its contractors—HAL, which is also working
as a triage function to make sure that people are being checked.
I think the British public and the travelling public would just
like that reassurance and that welcome news that checks are in
place. If that means queues, obviously, we are working with
airport operators in terms of how they are supported and triaged
as arrivals come into the airport.
(Bishop Auckland) (Con) [V]
Given the nature of the new variant and the unique challenges
that it has presented, I am pleased that new measures have been
introduced, such as covid testing at the border, to help keep
people safe as we continue our excellent efforts in the
vaccination roll-out. Does my right hon. Friend agree that of
course it is right that border measures are kept under constant
review as we battle this fast-changing virus, and that it is much
easier to be in Opposition making loud and sometimes conflicting
suggestions with the benefit of hindsight?
I thank my hon. Friend for her question. Again, it is worth
reflecting on the fact that we are in a global health pandemic
and all measures must always be under review. She made the point
as well about Opposition parties and the flip-flopping. At the
end of the day, the Government have to make difficult decisions
and choices, working with operational partners, and that is
exactly what we have done from day one throughout this pandemic.
(Coventry South) (Lab) [V]
Hundreds of asylum seekers are being housed in decommissioned
Army barracks in Kent and Wales. Locked in, residents of the
Napier barracks camp in Kent are forced to sleep in dormitories
of 28 people. Social distancing and self-isolation are therefore
impossible. One hundred people in the camp—that is, one in
four—have tested positive for covid. One in 20 are on suicide
watch. These are disgraceful, inhumane conditions, and the Home
Office has now belatedly said that it will move those with covid
out of the Napier camp. Will the Home Secretary now respect the
rights and dignity of these people, close these camps and provide
good, safe and liveable housing instead?
It is important for the hon. Member to understand that the
accommodation facilities that we are using are military bases
that are of a very high standard—so much so that they were
housing and accommodating our service personnel, men and women,
prior to the base being made available to asylum seekers. The
reason the base was made available is that in line with Public
Health England guidelines, because of coronavirus, we need space
for social distancing, which has been absolutely in place. These
accommodation sites are in line with PHE guidance—we have always
checked guidance and worked with PHE throughout coronavirus when
it comes to accommodation. [Interruption.] I can see the hon.
Lady shaking her head—perhaps she would like to listen to the
facts and not some of the jaded views that she may hold herself.
Alongside that, the reason we have removed a number of asylum
seekers over the weekend is actually to protect others from
catching coronavirus. That is absolutely the right thing to do,
because public health and public safety are important, and that,
of course, is in line with PHE guidance.
(Watford) (Con)
I also pay tribute to my right hon. Friend for the work that she
is doing to secure our borders. Given the current situation with
a new, more transmissible virus, can I ask whether she agrees
that we need to look again at our rules and guidance with regard
to borders to make sure that we are limiting the amount of virus
that comes through them?
I thank my hon. Friend for his question. He is absolutely
correct. We have an amazing vaccine programme. As we all know,
the world is speaking about our vaccine roll-out programme, and
we should be very proud about that. None the less, until the
roll-out is advancing in the way that we would like it to, we
need to take measures, and, as the House has heard me say several
times now, all measures that we take throughout this pandemic are
under review.
(Orkney
and Shetland) (LD) [V]
Measures of this sort have been a feature of all the systems that
have been most effective in tackling coronavirus around the
world, so the question that most people will want to hear
answered today is, why did it take so long to get here? Will the
Home Secretary do a bit to bolster public confidence in her
decision making by publishing the evidence on which she has based
the day’s decision, as well as the evidence that she has relied
on to make different decisions hitherto?
Throughout the pandemic, all decisions have been made by looking
at scientific advice, and the right hon. Gentleman will be well
aware of that, and it is no different when it comes to protective
measures at the border. He heard me speak about shutting the
border when the mutant strain from Denmark was prevalent, and
taking action around flights from South Africa and other
countries, which was absolutely right. That was based on
scientific advice, much of which has also been put out in the
public domain.
(Forest of Dean) (Con)
I recognise that the Home Secretary cannot talk about measures
that are being discussed at the moment, but I hope that she can
assure the House that, if decisions are taken today, as we
expect, a Minister will be appearing at the Dispatch Box tomorrow
to update the House on those measures. May I just ask her this:
given that the chief scientific adviser has said that coronavirus
will be with us “forever”, are the measures that are being
contemplated expected to be permanent to deal with that permanent
risk of a mutating variant of the virus that the vaccine cannot
deal with, or temporary?
I thank my right hon. Friend for his important question. First,
all announcements were made both in the conventional way and to
the House, as Mr Speaker would expect. Secondly, as my right hon.
Friend will understand, measures are always under review.
Decisions will be taken through the consultative process within
Government based on evidence, based on discussions and based on a
number of facts. The virus, of course, is changing, although it
is still with us. The vaccine roll-out is a new element, a new
consideration, in terms of the nature of the measures that are
being taken. It is fair to say that there has been a layered
approach with these measures. As we have seen, there has been
escalation and de-escalation. Right now, we have escalated the
measures through the banning of the travel corridors, so these
measures will be under review. Naturally, as the roll-out
progresses, new strains may or may not materialise
internationally. We will obviously have to take everything into
consideration when it comes to permanency or the timetabling of
the application of certain measures.
(Strangford) (DUP) [V]
I thank the Secretary of State for her answers today to the
urgent question. She will be aware of the substantial concerns
that exist around the Northern Ireland border with the Republic
of Ireland as pertains to covid travel. Further to the
announcement from the Republic of Ireland, can the Secretary of
State confirm what, if any, contact has been made to ascertain
the current situation and to share information regarding
passengers’ travel to the Republic of Ireland and, potentially,
to Northern Ireland, which should not have been withheld at any
stage? Furthermore, what steps will be taken to save lives by
being sensible about our shared border?
The hon. Gentleman makes a really important point. First of all,
the advice is not to travel. It is to stay at home for the very
reason that he has given: we are in a pandemic and we need to
protect public health. He has highlighted some of the things that
are taking place right now. Secondly, it is important for me to
emphasise that this is a joint effort. Collaboration takes place
in relation to the common travel area, the sharing of information
and the sharing of data around passengers and flows. That has
always been the case, and that will continue. None the less, I
still emphasise that there is no need for individuals to travel.
When it comes to the CTA and to the areas to which the hon.
Gentleman is referring, we are also thinking predominantly about
the movement of goods and hauliers, and, of course, there are
checks in place for those particular examples.
(Darlington) (Con) [V]
Can my right hon. Friend outline what support the Government will
be providing to regional airports such as Teesside International
to assist with these measures?
I thank my hon. Friend for his question. Of course, we are
speaking about current measures that are in place right now and
have been put in place by the Government. My right hon. Friend
the Transport Secretary is working constantly with airports
across the country in constructive dialogue in terms of the
measures, the impact on flow and changes in flow. Again I would
like to emphasise, recognising that these are difficult times of
course, that people should really not be travelling unless there
are exceptional circumstances.
(Cardiff West) (Lab) [V]
I also wrote to the Home Secretary in April on covid border
measures, and the reply on her behalf from her Home Office
colleague, Baroness Williams, said that
“we have brought in the right measures at the right time”,
but we now know that the Home Secretary did not believe that,
because she recently said publicly that she had wanted the
borders closed. Is it not the case that it is not only my hon.
Friend the Member for Torfaen () who
believes that these new measures are too late, but that by her
own admission she believes that herself?
I have already outlined the comprehensive package of measures
that we brought in from January last year. It is all very well to
talk with hindsight about measures in the past, but there were
many discussions that took place. Alongside that, the measures
are clear on testing, on test to release, and now on banning
various flights and on carrier liabilities. These measures are in
place and they will continue to be in place, but as I have said,
as evidence changes, the situation changes. The measures are
under review and changes will be announced in due course.
(New Forest West) (Con)
Is it usual to bill prisoners for the cost of their
incarceration?
I refer my right hon. Friend to my statement earlier.
(Warrington North) (Lab) [V]
As an island nation, there is absolutely no reason why we could
not follow the lead of countries such as New Zealand, which had
strict border measures in place from the start of the pandemic
and where normal life has been able to resume. That is something
that we are all watching with envy from lockdown 3. As we
approach a year since the first covid case in the UK, can the
Home Secretary tell the House why it has taken her so long to put
in an effective strategy to stop covid—particularly the new
strains of covid—entering the country, and what steps will be
taken to prevent travellers from circumventing travel
restrictions by flying through countries with no restrictions?
I am intrigued by this new hindsight that everybody seems to have
adopted rather quickly, when I have already outlined the position
of the Opposition earlier in my remarks. The hon. Lady has heard
my comments around the comprehensive approach, the list of
measures that have been put in place, and the people that we have
worked with in Government and out of Government in terms of
operational partners. We have a comprehensive strategy that has
been in place since January last year, but as I have said
repeatedly, the measures will be under review as they have been
throughout the entire pandemic, including health measures at the
border.
(Wokingham) (Con) [V]
I congratulate my right hon. Friend on what she has been doing.
Will she strengthen the law against people trafficking, which
remains a worrying danger? Can she also ensure that the necessary
travel controls do not stop essential work travel?
My right hon. Friend is absolutely right. First, on people
trafficking, he has been assiduous on this and he has heard me
speak a number of times about the measures that we are bringing
forward in terms of legislation and plans around tackling people
trafficking and smugglers. We have some good reports on the
criminal penalties and sanctions that have been levelled against
individuals. Secondly, he is absolutely right about the fines
that we are putting in place and the exemptions that are required
in key areas such as goods, in particular, coming into the
country.
(Central
Ayrshire) (SNP) [V]
Pacific countries that controlled their borders have suffered
less economic harm from covid. With evidence growing that the
South African and other variants are resistant to antibodies,
which could undermine the vaccine programme, when will the
Government introduce this more rigorous quarantine, and how will
they support the aviation sector through 2021, when these
measures are likely to be needed?
I refer the hon. Lady to my statement and the comments I have
made about measures being under review and announcements being
forthcoming. It is not for me to give a timetable for what is
taking place, because obviously there is a lot of work that takes
place day in, day out across Government around border measures
and the overall approach with regard to coronavirus.
(Amber Valley)
(Con) [V]
I welcome these proposed measures; clearly, at times of highest
risk, we need the strongest measures. Will the Secretary of State
agree to be transparent and publish the criteria that the
Government will use for deciding which measures will be in place
at what time between quarantine, self-isolation and travel
corridors being allowed?
My hon. Friend makes an important point. I do not want to
speculate about new measures; he will bear with me, as he has
heard me say this a number of times. There are processes around
making decisions, and clearly, when changes come forward, the
Government will announce the details in due course.
(Denton
and Reddish) (Lab) [V]
It is not hindsight. The Home Secretary knows that the Home
Affairs Committee, on which I sit, took evidence from New Zealand
and Singapore last year about what they were doing to
successfully apply effective covid controls at the border. Ten
months on, it feels that the Home Secretary is closing the stable
door after the horse has bolted. I simply ask her this: why did
our measures not work? Did they not go far enough, and does she
take any responsibility for that?
As a member of the Select Committee, the hon. Gentleman will be
aware that in April last year, we discussed at the Select
Committee health measures at the border and the work of the
Government. In terms of the effectiveness of the measures, he
will be very familiar with all the measures—the statutory
instruments, the regulations and the directions to airports,
Border Force and the ports. As I and other members of the
Government have said throughout, and particularly today, all
measures are under review, and that is the right thing to do.
(St Austell and Newquay) (Con) [V]
The Home Secretary will be aware that the aviation sector has
been one of the most adversely affected by the pandemic. While it
is right that the Government take all appropriate steps to
protect public health, she will also be aware that any further
restrictions will have a damaging impact on the sector. Can she
reassure me that if any new restrictions on travel are brought
in, they will only be in place for as long as necessary? Will the
Government work with airports and airlines to find ways to safely
allow flights to recommence as soon as possible?
Let me give hon. Friend reassurance about the way in which the
Government across the board have worked with the aviation sector.
He is right about the impact that coronavirus has had on global
travel, airlines and the people who work in the sector.
Government will continue to work with stakeholders and partners
in the sector. They are our operational partners. We work with
them every single day at our key airports and our ports, and that
will continue.
(Jarrow) (Lab) [V]
I understand that the Home Secretary does not want to comment on
any measures that are still to be confirmed, but if people are
required to self-isolate on entering the UK, will the Government
consider putting support in place to help those who cannot afford
to finance their own quarantine but may be travelling due to, for
example, a family emergency or bereavement?
If I may, I will restate the point that I made earlier: I am not
going to comment on speculation. All Members will have to be a
little bit more patient and wait for formal details as and when
announcements are made.
(Romsey and Southampton North) (Con) [V]
I am sure my right hon. Friend would agree that returning British
citizens need certainty about what to expect at the border. Can
she assure me that advance information to travellers will be as
explicit as possible, so that nobody can turn up at the airport
claiming that they did not know which test to get or when and
what documentation they would need to prove it?
I thank my right hon. Friend for her question, and she is
absolutely right of course. The role of the Foreign, Commonwealth
and Development Office and the Department for Transport
throughout this pandemic has been very clear in terms of advice,
and that will continue.
(Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney) (Lab) [V]
Will the Home Secretary indicate whether she thinks it is
appropriate that the isolation assurance service has been
checking just three out of 100 people on quarantine compliance?
Surely she realises that that is totally unsatisfactory and falls
far short of what is required to keep our country safe.
First, I pay tribute to our colleagues who are working on checks.
The isolation assurance service has, throughout, increased its
checks, and those numbers are wrong. It is right and vital to
point out that the collaboration that takes place with not only
the IAS and Border Force, but the police and others is right and
vital—and it is working. As an organisation, the IAS has been
stepping up the checks it has been undertaking.
(Redcar) (Con)
As the MP for Redcar and Cleveland, I represent many of
Teesside’s offshore oil and gas workers. Will my right hon.
Friend assure me that if any additional border restrictions are
put in place, that important part of our economy will not be
negatively affected?
My hon. Friend is, rightly, a strong advocate for his
constituency and this important sector in his constituency. There
have been certain limited and restricted exemptions, but I repeat
that if he bears with us on this and has patience, he will find
that announcements will come in due course. He is, however, right
to highlight his constituency interest.
(North East Fife) (LD)
As is the case in relation to any covid restriction, what
businesses, operators and the public want and need is clarity,
certainty and notice. So if the Government are going down the
route of border closures, and I note what the Secretary of State
has said already, will she provide an indication as to how long
any restrictions are likely to last and provide reassurance that
the Government will give support if this means no 2021 season for
inbound tourism operators and their supply chains?
It is important at this stage to reflect upon the amount of
support that the Government have put in to businesses throughout
this pandemic. Of course the hon. Lady is right on certainty for
businesses and others with regard to coronavirus restrictions.
Nothing has changed on that, and of course we will work with all
sectors, as we have done throughout this pandemic, when it comes
to not only support, but giving them information up front.
(Ashfield) (Con) [V]
Will my right hon. Friend please confirm that people should not
be travelling in and out of the country unless absolutely
necessary? Will she assure me that airports are fully aware that
they too have a moral duty to ensure that social distancing is in
place?
I thank my hon. Friend for his question. He is right: we are in a
global health pandemic. The daily numbers that we see of people
being hospitalised and the impacts of covid are a sobering
reminder of all of this. I wish to make a couple of points. Of
course passengers are checked at the airports—we have just
discussed that today. All airports across the UK are operational
partners, and they have a responsibility to comply with those
social distancing and covid-compliant measures. We will continue
to work with them and support them to do so. As ever, my message
again is: people should not be travelling; we are in global
health pandemic.
(Gordon) (SNP) [V]
The Home Secretary will be aware that the Scottish Government
cannot unilaterally close the border in Scotland to international
arrivals. May I therefore ask: in the event that further
restrictions on international arrivals are imposed, will she
commit to offering the full resources of the UK Border Force,
including funding, if required, to ensure that Scotland is able
to operate effectively as part of a four-nations approach?
The hon. Gentleman has made the case for a stronger United
Kingdom and for the Union working together, which is absolutely
right, and we have been doing that, with Border Force in
particular. I pay tribute to my Border Force colleagues across
the country for the very strong work they are doing, in Scotland,
Wales and across the UK, because they have been on the frontline
every day.
(Blackpool South) (Con) [V]
Does my right hon. Friend agree that a key benefit of Brexit is
that decisions on our immigration, national security and borders
are now exclusively matters for Her Majesty’s Government?
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. He will know that in Britain
post Brexit we are clear in terms of the powers and decisions
that we are able to undertake. That is, of course, effectively
what the Government are now doing, and my hon. Friend has
highlighted some clear areas where that change has now happened.
(Dwyfor Meirionnydd) (PC) [V]
The first covid case in Wales was recorded on 28 February last
year, yet almost a year later the UK Government remain reluctant
to follow the science wholeheartedly in relation to the health
risks implicit in international travel. While today’s answer is
insufficient, the Government’s measures will also be difficult to
sustain in the long term. Given that health is devolved, what
plans are in place for the UK Government and the Welsh Government
to work together on a long-term plan to ensure that international
travel is not again a threat to public health?
If I may I will take the right hon. Lady back to January last
year. She just mentioned travel measures, but travel measures
were brought in in January last year. I am not going to run
through again the various measures that have been undertaken. If
I may say so, when it comes to the devolved nations, there is
support and work in place, and calls take place on a near daily
basis. It is absolutely right that we take a united approach to
dealing with measures and restrictions, but also to tackling
coronavirus. I absolutely urge Ministers across the four nations:
if they have any particular issues in respect of joining up,
speaking with one voice and being much more united, the
Government’s door is well and truly open because that is exactly
what we have been trying to do over the past 12 months.
(Burnley) (Con)
I commend the Home Secretary for all the work that she and her
Department are doing to keep our borders and people safe during
this period. More than anything else, aerospace workers in
Burnley need planes to be back in the air, so will the Home
Secretary assure me that her Department is looking at what
measures might be needed on the border in the long term to allow
travel to resume in a safe and secure way?
I commend my hon. Friend for speaking about the aerospace sector
and the innovation that takes place within it. Of course, across
Government we recognise that coronavirus has been very
challenging for the aviation sector, so those discussions will
always take place and have taken place, and support will continue
to be part of that wider discussion. The Government are committed
to that.
Dame (Wallasey) (Lab) [V]
On the day that Office for National Statistics figures show that
the UK now has the highest number of covid deaths per million
population in the world, and given that currently the isolation
assurance service does not check the vast majority of those
required to isolate, how can the Home Secretary assure us that
enforcement of these new rules will be adequate, and that they
will not be more honoured in the breach than the observance?
The hon. Lady has made a very important point. The number of
deaths from coronavirus has reached 100,000. Every death is an
absolute tragedy. I think that puts this discussion today into
some context—a great deal of context, in fact—regarding not only
measures but the fact that we are working night and day to reduce
the spread of coronavirus. I have highlighted the checks done by
the isolation assurance service, but it is not just about that
service. It may reassure the hon. Lady to hear that Border Force
is now fulfilling 100% of compliance checks, working with airport
staff on triaging to bring in those checks and with airports and
ports on queues and managing the flows coming in. Those are
important measures, but it does come back to the need for
compliance, which is why, again, I urge everyone who should not
be travelling to please stay at home.
(Stoke-on-Trent South) (Con) [V]
Given the huge efforts that everyone has made, which have now got
infection rates back under control, and given the rise of new
covid strains in a number of countries around the world, does my
right hon. Friend agree that we cannot risk importing further new
strains of the virus into the UK, which would undermine all that
work?
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. I have spoken already about
our incredible vaccine—our world-leading vaccine—which we are
proud of. Our work and focus since the development of the vaccine
have been about protecting that vaccine from new strains, hence
the measures that we brought in in December—the pre-travel tests
and the carrier liability for pre-travel tests as well. Those are
important measures, and they are clearly linked to the vaccine,
but also to stopping the spread of coronavirus.
(Oldham East and Saddleworth) (Lab) [V]
The Home Affairs Committee and the all-party parliamentary group
on coronavirus—in our report following our inquiry last
year—recommended tighter border restrictions to suppress the
virus, reflecting the success of countries that followed a
SARS/MERS pandemic model, rather than a flu pandemic model. It
just is not credible for the Home Secretary to say that there
were adequate protections at our borders. Given this, why have
the Government been so slow to protect the country’s public
health and the economy via its borders?
I am naturally going to disagree with the hon. Lady, and do so
respectfully. As I have already said and as she will recall, last
year at the Select Committee we had a lengthy discussion around
coronavirus measures at the border and the number of people
coming into the country, and I have highlighted the measures that
are in place. These are stringent and strong measures, which have
been put in place in a layered approach throughout the pandemic.
When the situation has changed, when the evidence has changed,
and when new strains have materialised and developed, the
Government have taken the right action at the right time.
(Hyndburn) (Con)
Many residents in Hyndburn and Haslingden have raised concerns
about people entering our country and not following the isolation
guidance when they arrive. Will the Home Secretary please
reassure my residents that more stringent measures will be in
place, if necessary, to control the virus?
I reassure my hon. Friend and her constituents about the
isolation assurance service. As I have said, that service is
working with Border Force and the police around absolutely
following through on compliance checks. The IAS is linked with
Public Health England, so it clearly takes the lead on that. My
hon. Friend’s constituents should be reassured by the checks that
we have in place, which are very clear; Border Force and others
are working together to ensure that they are working.
(Midlothian) (SNP) [V]
The Home Secretary said last week that she was an advocate of
closing the borders last March. Given that she chose not to
answer my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Edinburgh South
West () on this matter, could I ask again—why did she not
make stronger public representations at the time? Or was she
silenced within her own Department?
I refer the hon. Gentleman to my earlier comments. I have been
very clear about the measures that have been brought in since
January last year. Any Member of this House saying that the
Government have not taken action is completely wrong. I would be
more than happy to write to him with the list of every single
step and measure—from the Home Office, the Department for
Transport and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development
Office—that has been brought in at the border.
(Preseli
Pembrokeshire) (Con) [V]
I know that the Home Secretary understands the importance of
trade and the pressures facing many UK hauliers right now, so
will she confirm that, regardless of what new measures are
brought in at the border, hauliers will get all the support they
need to keep vital trade flowing in and out of the country?
My right hon. Friend is absolutely right. The role of
hauliers—for goods, freight and medical supplies—has been at the
forefront of all our actions when it comes to keeping goods
flowing. I point my right hon. Friend to the work and testing
measures that he will have seen at our ports—at Dover. These are
important measures that do exactly that; they help to keep goods
moving, and that will continue.
(Bradford West) (Lab) [V]
On this tragic day, when, according to the Office for National
Statistics, the number of UK covid-related deaths is about to
surpass 100,000—many from poorer and working-class
backgrounds—can the Home Secretary confirm that any upcoming
plans on borders and hotel quarantining will not
disproportionately affect the poorest while being a luxury for
the richest in our society?
The hon. Lady makes a very important point. First of all, I am
not going to get into speculation around new measures and things
of that nature. It is a tragic day, a sad day; it is a terrible,
terrible, shocking reminder of how coronavirus has touched the
lives of so many people. It is right, quite frankly, that all our
measures are kept under review, and today’s figures are a
sobering reminder of why we do that.
(Kettering)
(Con)
This is a really miserable time for everybody involved in the
travel industry. Yesterday, Hays Travel announced that it is
going to close 89 of its 535 stores. At the moment, it is unclear
whether that will impact on the four stores in Northamptonshire,
including the shop in Kettering. Will my right hon. Friend ensure
that if the Government tighten the border controls, they revisit
the financial help available to the travel industry?
I thank my hon. Friend, and I completely hear his comments. As I
said, our operational partners and the people in the sector have
had a torrid time. It is for my colleagues across Government to
continue that work and dialogue. I should emphasise that dialogue
always takes place with sectors and businesses. That is
important, and it will absolutely continue.
(Gower) (Lab) [V]
The Home Secretary pays tribute to border staff, but they face
risks working in close contact with arriving passengers and
clandestine arrivals, particularly since the end of the
transition period, without commercial-grade masks or personal
protective equipment. What additional measures have been put in
place to protect the staff that she rightly speaks so highly of?
I will always speak highly of my frontline partners in Border
Force, who do exceptional work across ports and airports. From
the start of this pandemic, we have supported Border Force staff
and resourced them with PPE and the equipment they have asked for
and needed—[Interruption.] The hon. Lady shakes her head, but we
absolutely have, and the head of Border Force, who I work with
day in, day out, can testify to that. As I have already
articulated, measures at the border are always under review.
Those incredible staff are put under pressure, for example, when
airports are very busy. They are there, and we have measures in
place to protect them, including the way in which we rota them
and keep them distant from travelling members of the public.
(Warrington South) (Con) [V]
I offer my support to the work that the Home Secretary has
undertaken during the pandemic by reacting to the ever-changing
challenge of this virus. As she knows, Warrington is getting used
to having a more significant connection to UK ports, and to
Ireland and the channel tunnel, with the recent addition of an
inland border facility. Can she assure me that the new measures
will not impact the flow of freight and cause issues with lorries
queuing in my rural villages?
My hon. Friend raises an important point. Obviously, as part of
the end of transition, inland sites were created to assist with
the flow of goods, as we have spoken about this afternoon. Again,
Border Force is involved with inland sites, and that will
absolutely continue. The measures are under review, and we are
making sure we can operationalise them. That equally applies to
the inland sites that he refers to.
