Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department applies the provisions of the Maritime Labour Convention to the (a) merchant navy seafarers and (b) vessels in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence applies the Maritime Labour Convention in accordance with its application in UK Legislation. Where a Disapplication, Exemption or Derogation exists in UK legislation, then Secretary of State for Defence’s Policy on Health and Safety places the obligation on the Department to comply with outcomes at least as good as UK legislation.
This is coupled with the Defence Maritime Regulator as an independent Health, Safety and Environmental protection regulator to implement independent assurance of the implementation of legislation such as the Maritime Labour Convention and Merchant Shipping Act 1995.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an estimate of the number of civilian seafarers in scope of the (a) Defence Maritime Regulator and (b) the Memorandum of Understanding between the MoD and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
As of the 6 February 2026, the Royal Fleet Auxiliary had 1,741 employees, who are under the scope of the dual regulatory requirements of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and Defence Maritime Regulator.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) inspection dates and (b) deficiencies recorded were by officials from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency following inspection of Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels in each year since 2014.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Routine surveys and inspections of RFA vessels have been completed in accordance with statutory requirements and timeline. All corrective actions or deficiencies have been pursued by both the RFA and the appropriate regulators and certifying bodies.
Deficiencies raised across all surveys are actioned as a matter of priority and evidenced to the appropriate regulatory body for closure within the agreed time frame.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many inspections of Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels have been carried out by officials from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency since the updated Memorandum of Understanding was published in November 2024.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) as an organisation have been audited, inspected or surveyed approximately 30 times since the Memorandum of Understanding was updated in November 2024.
This is a combination of RFA ship specific surveys and RFA organisational safety systems audits, capturing the holistic safety management of the RFA in accordance with Maritime and Coastguard Agency and Defence Maritime Regulator regulations.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the operational (a) status and (b) readiness is of each Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Royal Fleet Auxiliary continues to meet its commitments in supporting the Royal Navy worldwide, including the Carrier Strike Groups current global deployment.
The Royal Navy does not routinely disclose readiness data for individual vessels due to Operational Security.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list all live maritime service contracts his Department has with subsidiaries of Serco Limited.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
SD Victoria and SD Northern River currently operate under the Serco Continued Procurement of Marine Services contract which expires on 30 September 2025. From 1 October 2025, the two vessels will operate the under the Serco Defence Marine Service Offshore to Military Training Contract. This contract was awarded on the 14 May 2025 following a competitive procurement process. The Contract has a duration of 10 years and a cost of £94 million.
The Ministry of Defence has no live maritime service contracts with subsidiaries of Serco.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) cost and (b) duration are for the contract between his Department and Serco Marine Services for the support vessels (i) SD Victoria and (ii) SD Northern River.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
SD Victoria and SD Northern River currently operate under the Serco Continued Procurement of Marine Services contract which expires on 30 September 2025. From 1 October 2025, the two vessels will operate the under the Serco Defence Marine Service Offshore to Military Training Contract. This contract was awarded on the 14 May 2025 following a competitive procurement process. The Contract has a duration of 10 years and a cost of £94 million.
The Ministry of Defence has no live maritime service contracts with subsidiaries of Serco.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Strategic Defence Review on the (a) budget and (b) headcount of the (i) UK Hydrographic Office and (ii) National Shipbuilding Office.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Strategic Defence Review (SDR) sets a path for the next decade and beyond to transform Defence and make the UK stronger both at home and abroad. The Government endorses the Review's vision and accepts all 62 recommendations.
The potential impact of the SDR on the budget and headcount of the UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) is that, as an arm's length body and trading fund, the SDR has no significant impact on existing UKHO budget and headcount that have not been accounted for within the corporate planning process.
The potential impact of the SDR on the budget and headcount of the National Shipbuilding Office (NSO) is yet to be determined. The NSO continues to be this Government's driver for shipbuilding activity both on Government shipbuilding programmes and across the commercial and civil sector.
We will be in a better position to understand this once work on the Defence Investment Plan completes later this year.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the transfer of Stirling Castle from the Royal Fleet Auxillary to the Royal Navy on the operational capacity of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The transfer of Stirling Castle from the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) to the Royal Navy allows the RFA to direct its resources to crew and maintain other vessels in its inventory, optimising readiness to support Defence’s outputs.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the total operating cost was of the British overseas military base in Qatar in the 2024-25 financial year.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence does not have a British Overseas Base in Qatar but we do have forces hosted on the Qatari owned, US-operated Al Udeid Air Base outside Doha.
Indicative operating costs for being based at Al Udeid airbase in financial year 2024-25 are in the region of £3.7 million. The exact cost will be finalised after the publication of the Ministry of Defence Annual Report and Accounts 2024-25.