Government ministers meet to address summer travel disruption

Because the UK prepares for one more busy weekend of journey, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Package Malthouse right this moment chaired a gathering of Ministers from throughout Authorities to replace on how they’re supporting trade and port and airport operators to ease potential disruption and guarantee households can get away on their holidays, from working with the Port of Dover and French Authorities to working with Highways England on managing visitors.

The assembly included Ministers from the Division for Transport, House Workplace, Division for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, and the Overseas, Commonwealth and Improvement Workplace.

Ministers had been additionally joined by senior officers from UK Border Drive, the Nationwide Police Coordination Centre and the Kent Resilience Discussion board, which managed the native influence of the weekend’s points at Dover and Folkestone.

Ministers additionally mentioned how current measures, equivalent to altering rules on airport slots guidelines to assist airways make wise selections about schedules, keep away from last-minute cancellations and supply passengers with extra certainty.

With Birmingham’s Commonwealth Video games starting on Thursday, and RMT rail employees on strike on Wednesday, Ministers additional mentioned preparations being put in place to supply various transport and maintain the nation shifting.

Measures embody placing additional capability on traces which are working and laying on coaches for sports activities followers and spectators.

The House Workplace additionally up to date on current enhancements in passport utility processing forward of the large summer season getaway. Minister Foster has been assembly with Passport Workplace seniors on a fortnightly foundation to drive ahead work to step up processing occasions. Lots of of additional workers are being introduced in to assist enhance capability, and the Passport Workplace at the moment are processing round one million purposes every month, with 97.7% of those being processed inside 10 weeks.

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Package Malthouse stated:

We need to be sure that households get away on their holidays easily and hauliers aren’t delayed unnecessarily.

Forward of one other busy weekend of journey, right this moment I chaired a GRIP assembly with Ministers from throughout Authorities, joined by senior officers from UK Border Drive, the Nationwide Police Coordination Centre and the Kent Resilience Discussion board.

This was to verify that work is underway to stop the scenes of disruption that we noticed final weekend, and that we’re in every day contact with the Port of Dover and French Authorities to work collectively to take away any grit from the system.

I need to use these GRIP conferences – to coordinate and galvanise Authorities Resilience, Implementation and Preparedness for potential points dealing with the nation.