Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of the Critical Freight Grant has been granted to (a) P&O Ferries and (b) each other operator receiving the grant since it was introduced.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The proportions paid under the scheme active between January and June 2021 were, to the nearest percentage: P&O Ferries 18%; Brittany Ferries 29%; DFDS 32%; Stena Line 21%. All contracts under this Framework have now been terminated.
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what meetings (a) he and (b) his officials have had with representatives from transport trade unions to discuss P&O Ferries since he entered office on 25 October 2022.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Officials meet with representatives from relevant transport trade unions on a regular basis to discuss progress with the seafarer protections nine-point plan and Seafarers’ Wages Bill. So far, the Secretary of State has not had the opportunity to do so.
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he last held discussions with the Secretary of State for (a) the Home Department and (b) Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on the potential effect of the Offshore Wind Workers Immigration Rules Concession 2017 on maritime (i) jobs and (ii) skills.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Neither I, nor my colleague the Secretary of State, have yet had any discussions with our counterparts at the Home Office or Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy about this specific matter. However, I look forward to engaging colleagues on this important issue.
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether it is his policy to prohibit all forms of discrimination against all seafarers working in the merchant shipping industry.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
This government believes all seafarers should be treated fairly, regardless of nationality. While we can only act directly in respect of UK vessels and within UK waters, we continue to work through international forums to try to secure agreement on the fair treatment of all seafarers.
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the Maritime and Coastguard Agency last discussed safety compliance in the ferry sector with the (a) Cypriot, (b) Bahamian and (c) Bermudan ship registers.
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 Cypriot, Bahamian and Bermudan registers since 21 March in relation to P&O Ferries and safety compliance.
The Cyprus flag authorised Lloyds Register to act on their behalf and MCA Port State Control Inspectors have been continuously liaising with Lloyds Register during the MCA’s Port State Control inspections on board the Cypriot-flagged vessels.
Maritime Inspectors from Bahamas and Bermuda have been on board their respective flagged vessels during the MCA’s Port State Control inspections and liaising with the MCA during these inspections.
The MCA discussed any concerns related to safety and seafarers working and living conditions with the Cypriot, Bahamian and Bermudan representatives as part of the Port State Control inspection.
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the dates of any discussions his Department has had with the (a) Cypriot, (b) Bahamian and (c) Bermudan ship registers on P&O Ferries Ltd.'s dismissal of UK seafarers on 17 March 2022.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
Officials contacted the authorities in each state following notification of the redundancies by P&O Ferries. Initial responses were received from Cyprus on 23rd March, Bermuda on 24th March, and The Bahamas on 31st March.
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had recent discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the Seafarers (Insolvency, Collective Redundancies and Information and Consultation Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2018 following P&O Ferries Ltd.'s dismissal of UK seafarers on 17 March 2022.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Insolvency Service have initiated both criminal and civil investigations into the circumstances surrounding the recent redundancies made by P&O Ferries. Until these investigations are concluded, the government will not be commenting further.
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many times (a) Ministers and (b) officials from his Department have met representatives from P&O Ferries Ltd since 17 March 2022.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
Since P&O Ferries took the decision to make nearly 800 staff redundant, DfT Ministers have met with their representatives once, on the day of the announcement.
This was to make clear our anger with the disgraceful actions they had taken, and that we will do everything we can to protect workers’ rights and to ensure vessels are safe for staff and passengers.
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has allocated (a) funding and (b) staff to the Government’s pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department for Transport (DfT) has provided £3m funding towards the costs of the Government’s pavilion at ExPo 2020 Dubai.
Staffing of the Government’s pavilion is the responsibility of the Department for International Trade, therefore no DfT staff have been assigned to work at the pavilion.
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the introduction of freeports on seafarer employment in the roll-on roll-off ferries sector.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
Freeports will bring together ports, local authorities, businesses and other key local stakeholders to achieve a common goal of shared prosperity and opportunity for their regions. This is likely to increase jobs in the Humber region, including seafarer jobs due to greater shipping activity.