Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the proportion of UK resident seafarers employed on ferries operating from (a) Hull, (b) Immingham, (c) Harwich, (d) Felixstowe, (e) Tilbury and (f) Dover; and what steps he is taking to increase that proportion.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Department does not hold data on seafarers by port or region, or seafarers specifically employed on ferries. The Seafarers in the UK shipping industry 2021 statistical release can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/seafarers-in-the-uk-shipping-industry-2021/seafarers-in-the-uk-shipping-industry-2021.
The tables associated with the publication are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/seafarer-statistics-sfr.
Measures such as the amendments to the national minimum wage and the points-based visa system will increase opportunities for UK seafarers in the UK domestic market and set a minimum salary level.
The Department of Transport established the Maritime Skills Commission (MSC) to lead in ensuring the maritime sector has a pipeline of talent to serve its needs now and going forward. We remain committed to the training of seafarers with the MSC cadet review feeding into our forward planning and we have developed a range of apprenticeships for UK ratings.
Over the last five years the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has introduced a more flexible pathway for UK seafarers to qualify as ratings. By allowing the qualifying seagoing service to take place in categorised waters and on smaller vessels of at least 15 metres, the MCA have allowed those working on workboats, domestic ferries, yachts and other smaller vessels to qualify as an STCW rating.
These measures will improve employment opportunities for UK ratings both domestically and internationally.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions the Maritime and Coastguard Agency has had since 17 March 2022 with the Bahamas Maritime Authority on the safety of P&O Ferries operating on international routes from the port of Hull.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
Officials from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) have been in regular contact with their counterparts in the Bahamas Maritime Authority (BMA) since 21 March in relation to P&O Ferries and safety compliance.
Further to the inspections carried out by the MCA and the Dutch authorities on the Pride of Hull, concerns related to safety and seafarers working and living conditions were discussed with the BMA.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with (a) Cabinet colleagues and (b) the Merchant Navy Training Board on P&O Ferries membership of the Maritime Apprenticeship Trailblazer Working Group.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Department is in discussions with the Merchant Navy Training Board regarding the seven P&O Ferriess’ apprentices that are still in training. The Merchant Navy Training Board are due to hold a meeting with the apprentices next month to understand their position and will keep the Department informed. The Department will intervene if there are any concerns. Our overall priority is the safety, protection and welfare of all seafarers.
Discussions with Cabinet colleagues continue on a range of issues.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact P&O Ferries' mass dismissal of UK resident seafarers on 17 March 2022 on the maritime apprenticeship policies set out in the Maritime 2050 Strategy.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Department is aware there are seven apprentices who are in training with P&O Ferries, and we understand that their positions are not at risk. The Department continues to work with the Merchant Navy Training Board to keep the situation under review. Our overarching priority is the protection and welfare of all seafarers.
The 9 point plan the Secretary of State announced on 30 March outlines the steps we are taking to protect seafarer protections and welfare.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the financial impact on the coach industry of the decision by Eurotunnel to reduce the number of coach berths available and to increase charges for the available berths.
Answered by Wendy Morton
Decisions regarding capacity and pricing are commercial ones for Eurotunnel as a private operator, noting that there are a number of options available to customers wishing to travel from the UK to Europe via the short Straits in what is a highly competitive market. Nevertheless, my officials will continue to engage with Eurotunnel and raise this important issue.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has plans to undertake an equalities and vulnerability impact assessment of proposals to reduce the number of train ticket offices.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail outlines the changes and modernisation needed for fares, ticketing and retailing to simplify and improve the passenger experience.
It is imperative that passengers should have access to a ticketing system that is user-friendly, where help and advice from a trained representative is available and is accessible to all. As modern ticketing and payments methods roll out more widely, we will ensure that all passengers are able to buy a ticket including those who need to use cash or do not have access to smartphones or the internet.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes to the number of train ticket offices on the ability of people who do not have internet access or are unable to use that technology to purchase train tickets.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail outlines the changes and modernisation needed for fares, ticketing and retailing to simplify and improve the passenger experience.
It is imperative that passengers should have access to a ticketing system that is user-friendly, where help and advice from a trained representative is available and is accessible to all. As modern ticketing and payments methods roll out more widely, we will ensure that all passengers are able to buy a ticket including those who need to use cash or do not have access to smartphones or the internet.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to help ensure that the application process for train passes is accessible to people who do not have access to the internet.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail outlines the changes and modernisation needed for fares, ticketing and retailing to simplify and improve the passenger experience.
It is imperative that passengers should have access to a ticketing system that is user-friendly, where help and advice from a trained representative is available and is accessible to all. As modern ticketing and payments methods roll out more widely, we will ensure that all passengers are able to buy a ticket including those who need to use cash or do not have access to smartphones or the internet.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the supply of HGV drivers as at 22 March 2022; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of making loans available to people to cover the cost of HGV training.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The most recent Annual Population Survey data published by the Office for National Statistics shows that in the period January-December 2021 there were 252,811 HGV drivers employed.
The Government has considered a range of options for supporting HGV driver training. We are investing up to £34 million in skills bootcamps to train up to 11,000 more people to become HGV drivers. These are free, short, intensive courses and are available to train new drivers to gain a category C or category C&E licence, upgrade their existing licence to category C+E or to qualify to transport hazardous goods. There are also courses to help update Driver CPC qualifications so former drivers can return to the sector.
An additional 1,000 people are expected to be trained through courses accessed locally and funded by the government’s adult education budget.
We are also supporting lorry driver training through apprenticeships. This includes the Large Goods Vehicle Driver (Category C+E) apprenticeship standard with a funding band of £7,000, and the Urban Driver (Category C) apprenticeship with a funding band of £5,000. The apprenticeships are available to people of any age who are seeking to retrain and widens the accessibility of this route of entry into the industry.
In addition, the Department for Work and Pensions and Jobcentre Plus are supporting jobseekers to return to driving and helping jobseekers become HGV drivers through a driver training pilot scheme and sector-based work academy programmes (SWAPs).
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much and what proportion of the £206 million allocated to UK SHORE will be made available to companies through the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE) was announced this month as part of the refresh of the National Shipbuilding Strategy. More information on UK SHORE, including funding details for a multi-year Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition, will be published in due course, alongside guidance for applicants.