Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme on the (a) recording and (b) pricing of emissions from (i) cargo and (ii) passenger ships working from UK ports and registered in (A) EU member and (B) non-EU states.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The expansion of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) to domestic maritime is currently planned from 2026. Officials across the UK ETS Authority have been regularly engaging across the maritime sector ahead of the next consultation on expansion of the UK ETS to domestic maritime. My officials met with industry bodies as recently as three weeks ago, and will continue to do so both ahead of, and following, the publication of the next consultation on the expansion of the UK ETS.
The EU ETS meanwhile will apply to all cargo and passenger vessels over 5000GT operating within the European Economic Area (EEA) and internationally to the EEA from 1 Jan 2024.
We have no plans to make a full assessment of this EU ETS scheme, it will impact all nations going to the EEA equally. The amount of in-scope emissions that allowances must be surrendered will increase from 40% in 2024, increasing to 70% in 2025, and 100% in 2026. The EU ETS will initially cover carbon dioxide emissions and be widened to include methane and nitrous oxide from 2026.
We will continue to monitor developments of international and regional carbon pricing instruments covering shipping schemes, including the EU ETS proposal, and consider how these might interact with our domestic policy in the future. This will be applied equally to all operators travelling internationally to the EEA. The EU ETS is not expected to have any organizational impact on the MCA.
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the number of seafarers that are employed on (a) cargo and (b) passenger ships over 5,000 gross tonnage that provide regularly-scheduled services between UK ports and ports in EU member states.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department of Transport does not hold data on how many seafarers are employed on different ship types or the number who provide regular scheduled services between UK ports and ports in EU member states.
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 (a) cargo and (b) roll-on roll-off passenger ship movements there were between UK ports and ports in EU member states in each financial year between 2016-17 and 2022-23.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department does not hold this data for the entire period of the question.
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the updated guidance on Chapter 17, Section 4: Continental Shelf Workers of the Immigration Rules published by the Home Office on 12 April 2023, whether Continental Shelf Workers on contracts in the UK oil and gas sector are entitled to the National Minimum Wage.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
National Minimum Wage (NMW) legislation applies to those who work or ordinarily work in the UK and those Seafarers exploiting and exploring the UK part of the continental shelf are entitled to the UK National Minimum Wage, as well as to some workers on UK-registered ships. We have a proud record of extending the NMW to seafarers.
In October 2020, legislation came into force to extend the right to the minimum wage to all seafarers on domestic voyages in the UK territorial sea and to those working in the UK part of the continental shelf.
We will continue to consider the needs of all sectors of the economy and take measures where these are needed, taking an evidence-based approach.
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the guidance on Chapter 17, Section 4: Continental Shelf Workers of the Immigration Rules published by the Home Office on 12 April 2023, whether Continental Shelf workers on contracts in Renewable Energy Zones are entitled to the National Minimum Wage.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
National Minimum Wage (NMW) legislation applies to those who work or ordinarily work in the UK and those Seafarers exploiting and exploring the UK part of the continental shelf are entitled to the UK National Minimum Wage, as well as to some workers on UK-registered ships. We have a proud record of extending the NMW to seafarers.
In October 2020, legislation came into force to extend the right to the minimum wage to all seafarers on domestic voyages in the UK territorial sea and to those working in the UK part of the continental shelf.
We will continue to consider the needs of all sectors of the economy and take measures where these are needed, taking an evidence-based approach.
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the guidance on Chapter 17, Section 4: Continental Shelf Workers of the Immigration Rules published 12 April 2023 applies to (a) seafarers and (b) employment in Renewable Energy Zones.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The continental shelf workers immigration rules concession is for workers employed on offshore installations that are outside UK waters. The concession allows workers to exceptionally live in the United Kingdom during their shore leave. Foreign national workers do not need permission to work outside UK waters.
The number of visas issued by occupation and industry are published on Gov.uk Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK: (www.gov.uk).
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many seafarers working in UK waters have been issued with visas under the points-based immigration system since 1 January 2021.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The continental shelf workers immigration rules concession is for workers employed on offshore installations that are outside UK waters. The concession allows workers to exceptionally live in the United Kingdom during their shore leave. Foreign national workers do not need permission to work outside UK waters.
The number of visas issued by occupation and industry are published on Gov.uk Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK: (www.gov.uk).
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Frontier Worker permits have been issued to non-UK seafarers covered by the Citizens’ Rights Agreement since 20 December 2020.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The Home Office does not collect data on the number of non-UK seafarers issued a Frontier Worker Permit.
Data relating to our quarterly migration statistics can be found at the following link: Migration statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to help ensure that support is available in rail stations for people who have issue with which automated systems cannot help.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
We have been clear that no currently staffed station should be unstaffed as a result of industry changes, and operators should ensure that staff are well located to meet passenger needs in future. This includes ensuring that staff remain available to help passengers use ticket vending machines, or their own devices to purchase tickets and they can assist those who need additional support or do not wish to use digital tickets. Exact staffing arrangements would vary by train operator and station and are subject to ongoing discussions with staff and their trade union representatives.
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to help ensure that vulnerable people are not put at risk in stations without ticket offices.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
When proposing major changes to ticket office opening hours, including closures, operators were required to take into account the adequacy of the proposed alternatives in relation to the needs of all passengers; and to include this in the notice of the proposal sent to other operators and passenger groups. All operators prepared Equality Impact Assessments and published these on their websites.
Following the end of the consultation period the independent passenger bodies (Transport Focus and London TravelWatch) are engaging with train operators on the basis of the consultation responses they have received and the criteria they have set out. We expect train operators to work collaboratively with passenger bodies in the coming weeks, to listen to concerns raised, such as the impacts on vulnerable people, and to refine their proposals accordingly.
As the industry takes forward vital reforms, safety and accessibility remain a top priority for all. The British Transport Police continue to support the rail network to ensure the safety and security of both passengers and rail staff.