Select committee: Transport Committee
Conclusion 9
Fifth Report - UK aviation: reform for take-off
Published 25 Apr 2022
Paragraph 44
Addressed to Department for Transport
Transport Committee Airlines and airports: supporting recovery in the UK aviation sector All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
Although the UK has, at the time of writing (April 2022), removed all testing requirements for international travel, many other countries have retained testing requirements. Therefore, some passengers will need to access safe and affordable coronavirus testing options in the near-to-medium term. Government intervention is required to establish a functional market for travel testing to benefit consumers. That intervention should include: a) implementing in full the Competition and Markets Authority’s recommendations for regulating the PCR travel testing market, so that if PCR tests are reintroduced as a travel requirement, the market will function fairly for consumers; and b) tasking the Competition and Markets Authority to review the operation of the market for antigen travel tests to follow the regulator’s September 2021 review of the PCR testing market.
From: Transport Committee, Fifth Report - UK aviation: reform for take-off (HC 683), paragraph 44, 25 April 2022
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 11 July 2022 (deadline 25 June 2022).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The Government's response notes most of the Committee's recommendations, agrees with a small number, partially agrees with others, and points to its new strategic framework, Flightpath to the Future, published on 26 May.
- On future pandemic planning, the Government "agrees with this recommendation", and says it "will only consider implementing new public health measures at the border in extreme circumstances".
- On an Airline Insolvency Bill, it "partially accepts" the recommendation: "If a Bill is required, we will work to introduce it as soon as practicable."
- On CAA financial penalties, it has "noted" the recommendation and will set out next steps "in due course" after reviewing responses to its consultation on additional CAA powers.
- It does "not agree" that the CMA needs to review the antigen travel test market, nor that the consultation should be expanded to cover the private travel testing market, saying that market has been dealt with separately.