Baroness Vere has responded to questions surrounding the coach sector by Emma Hardy MP
In a written response to Emma Hardy MP, Baroness Vere, Minister for Roads, Buses and Places, has said that although she appreciates the incredibly challenging nature of the last 12 months for coach operators, and understands their frustrations regarding private hire coach trips not taking place before 17 May, the Government’s position remains clear and is consistent with the roadmap announced on 22 February. That means that non-essential private hire coach trips taking place for leisure purposes are not consistent with the current guidance that passengers should continue to minimise travel.
With regard to Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) funding, the Baroness said that she did not have evidence of a widespread lack of access to grants among coach operators and that while the discretionary nature of the ARG means there might be ‘isolated issues,’ her department believes that Government guidance encouraging local authorities to consider tour operators among the businesses eligible for support ‘is being well understood.’
The Department will continue to monitor the issue alongside trade bodies, she said, and the Government will continue to engage with coach operators to assess how it can support the sector’s recovery, including via the DCMS Tourism Recovery Plan in the spring which will provide further detail on how it will support the UK’s tourism sector.
Concluding with the issue of PSVAR, the Baroness reminded operators that the regulations have been in place for almost two decades, ‘giving operators sufficient time to plan, prepare and comply,’ although her department does understand the pressures coach operators face at the moment and has therefore allowed short term temporary exemptions until July this year to give operators time to put in place compliant vehicles.
Richard Bamber of Anthony’s Travel called the response ‘very disappointing but not surprising’ and said he was ‘staggered’ at her comments about no evidence of lack of access to grants, ‘when there are so many documented examples of coach companies excluded from the main schemes.’
