Mr. R. C. Mitchellasked the Minister for Trade, pursuant to the Under-Secretary's reply to the hon. Member for Southampton, lichen, on 28 April concerning
62Wor cheque have still not received free travel by alternative route or have not received their money back; if his Department has any plans to reimburse such people; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Peter ReesI am informed by the receivers of Laker Airways that some 156,000 people bought either scheduled or package tour tickets. Those on package tours, numbering around 139,000, have either been carried by other operators or will be repaid in full out of bonding arrangements and the air travel reserve fund. The payments are expected to commence shortly.
Those who have bought scheduled tickets by cash or cheque were in some cases able to use their return coupons for passage with other airlines who assisted in a rescue operation. How many remain with unused coupons has not yet been determined. These people are now unsecured creditors of Laker Airways. It is too early to say when or to what extent the liquidator will be in a position to reimburse them. While we sympathise very much with those who have not been reimbursed, their reimbursement cannot be undertaken by the Government. Nor would the provisions governing the use of the air travel reserve fund permit recourse to it.