The Department for Transport (DfT) and the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (Bis) are both expected to release consultations addressing the impact of the new directive.
The industry has been awaiting their responses since the new protection scheme was rubber-stamped by the European Union (EU) last November, but this wait is now likely to continue until at least June 24 – the day after the British public go to the polls, according to one industry expert.
While the directive is binding on members, it still requires individual countries to introduce legislation for it to establish the changes.
“We were supposed to have two consultation papers, one from Bis… and one from the DfT... last December,” said Alan Bowen, travel licencing specialist at MHA MacIntyre Hudson.
“Last December came and went and then they [the government departments] said, ‘we [the industry] can have it the first quarter of 2016, no later than Easter so you can work on it over the Easter holiday and give us your response’.
“Their excuse now… for nothing coming is ‘we can’t let you see what we’re planning to do because it might encourage people to vote one way or another on June 23’.
“It looks as if we’re not going to get consultations papers now until the beginning of July, which is great for the government because nobody does anything in July, August and September. They won’t get many responses, so they’ll just do what they’re planning to do and ignore us.”
Bowen was speaking at the Challenges for the Travel Industry 2016 seminar, hosted by Barclays and MHA MacIntyre Hudson.
The delay is a concern for travel companies because it will reduce the amount of time between the consultation and the date it will come into force.
The EU has said the PTD must be enshrined in UK law by January 2018, prior to it coming into force the following July.
The new directive is the first update on consumer holiday protection since 1990.
The definition of what constitutes a “package” has been extended but there is some concern that this could create more confusion.
Neither the DFT nor Bis responded to TTG’s request for comment.
