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Introductory remarks

I鈥檇 like to kick things off with a very warm welcome to one and all.

A big thank-you too, for making the time and taking the trouble to come along today (26 September 2012).

Open mind

The American politician Adlai Stevenson once said: 鈥渁 politician is a person who approaches every subject with an open mouth.鈥�

Well I鈥檓 pleased to report that, when it came to reforming ATOL, this government has turned that stereotype completely on its head.

And that鈥檚 because we approached the issue with an open mind.

We studied the problem.

We examined the evidence.

And we not only talked to travel-trade stakeholders, industry experts and consumer groups, we listened to them.

I believe the end result is an ATOL scheme that better protects consumers in the 21st century holiday market.

Time to change

ATOL has done a fantastic job of looking after the interests of consumers down the years.

But it was born in the 1970s. And, as everyone here knows, the way we book holidays and flights has undergone a radical transformation since then, especially with the rise of the internet.

Arguably, the paradox of the internet age is that booking a holiday has become a lot more convenient and a bit more confusing at the same time.

Clicking a mouse when you make that purchase is easy, but it鈥檚 also sown seeds of doubt about what鈥檚 covered and what鈥檚 not, about who鈥檚 protected and who isn鈥檛.

So it was time to change, time to update and modernise.

Proof of protection and peace of mind

And we鈥檝e certainly done that by taking two important steps.

First of all we鈥檝e ended the confusion about whether so called 鈥淔light Plus鈥� holidays are included in the ATOL scheme. They are.

But, secondly, as of the 1st of October, when you buy a 鈥淔light-Plus鈥� holiday, a package holiday or even a 鈥淔light Only鈥� trip that鈥檚 covered by ATOL, you will get one of these - a standardised ATOL Certificate confirming that you are fully protected.

So, whether you鈥檙e on a website, in a travel agents or making a booking over the phone there鈥檒l be no more uncertainty and no more wondering.

Instead you鈥檒l have proof of protection and peace of mind

Concluding remarks

People will now be able to say with absolutely certainty - 鈥淚鈥檓 covered, I鈥檓 safe.鈥�

But these reforms don鈥檛 just mean better protection.

They actually mean better protection for more travellers - millions more in fact.

Add all that up and I think what you鈥檝e got is a job well done and a change worth celebrating.

So before I conclude my remarks I鈥檇 like to pay tribute to everyone in the travel industry whose advice, input and sheer hard work helped make this all possible.

We really couldn鈥檛 have done it without them.

Okay, nobody ever came to an event like this and said: 鈥渢hat was a great day, but if only the Minister had spoken for longer.鈥�

So, with that in mind, I鈥檇 like to thank you for listening and hand you over to Dame Deidre Hutton, Chair of the CAA.

This speech represented existing departmental policy but the words may not have been the same as those used by the minister.