Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the planned programmes of Station and Train cleans required from First-Trenitalia West Coast as a condition of its Emergency Recovery Management Agreement for each Performance Based Fee Assessment Period since September 2020.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The Department requires that all operators put in place plans and processes to deliver effective cleaning on trains and at stations. The Department does not publish their plans, but the delivery of these plans is regularly monitored and independently evaluated.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish correspondence between his Department and the directors of First Trenitalia West Coast, Alstom Transport Ltd or Atalian Servest in respect of the current industrial dispute over cleaners’ pay.
Answered by Wendy Morton
In line with requirements within the Franchise, the Department is made aware of all the ongoing industrial disputes. These disputes are for the operator and as such the Department has not been involved in any correspondence on this dispute with the Directors of these companies or the Directors at First Trenitalia West Coast Rail Ltd.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether under the terms of the emergency recovery management agreement between his Department and First Trenitalia West Coast, he has given a mandate in relation to Atalian Servest’s current pay arrangements at Alstom’s Traincare depots.
Answered by Wendy Morton
There is no contractual relationship between First Trenitalia West Coast Rail Ltd, the Departments contractual partner, and Atalian Servest. The pay arrangements of Atalian Servest is a matter for Atalian Servest.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether First Trenitalia West Coast, Alstom Transport or Atalian Servest are permitted to improve pay arrangements for cleaners employed in Alstom’s traincare depots.
Answered by Wendy Morton
There is no contractual relationship between Atalian Servest and either First Trenitalia West Coast Rail Ltd or the Department. Alalian Servest is responsible for its own employees and will make its own determinations on the pay of its employees.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the directors of First Trenitalia West Coast, Alstom Transport Ltd or Atalian Servest are entitled to any form of free rail travel or rail staff travel facilities.
Answered by Wendy Morton
First Trenitalia West Coast Rail Ltd Directors do have rail travel for work and private purposes as part of their employment benefits.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the national statistics for Seafarers in the UK Shipping Industry published on 22 February 2022, if he will make an estimate of the number of (a) UK and (b) non-UK resident seafarers employed on workboats or crew transfer vessels in the offshore renewables sector.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Department does not hold data on seafarers by country of residence, or for individual vessels or sectors. Some estimates of seafarers by nationality are available in the published statistics: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/seafarers-in-the-uk-shipping-industry-2021/seafarers-in-the-uk-shipping-industry-2021
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/seafarer-statistics-sfr
Those working on smaller vessels, such as those belonging to the National Workboat Association are unlikely to be covered in the UK seafarer figures and no estimate is available.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the national statistics for Seafarers in the UK Shipping Industry published on 22 February 2022, what steps he is taking to increase the number of UK-based ratings employed on (a) domestic and (b) international routes in the UK shipping industry.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
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.
We remain committed to the training of ratings. A range of apprenticeships are available for UK ratings, all have been established over recent years. Apprenticeships policy is devolved so there are different ratings apprenticeships available in England and Scotland.
In England, Able Seafarer (Deck), Maritime Electrical/Mechanical Mechanic and Maritime Caterer are offered. In Scotland, Deck Rating, Engine Room Rating and Hospitality with Maritime Enhancements are available.
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 vessel to qualify as an STCW rating.
These measures will improve employment opportunities for UK ratings both domestically and internationally.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference the national statistics for Seafarers in the UK Shipping Industry published on 22 February 2022, what the response rate was to the Seafarer Employment Survey conducted by the UK Chamber of Shipping.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
Information on the response rate for the Seafarer Employment Survey conducted by the UK Chamber of Shipping can be found in section 3 of the Seafarers in the UK shipping industry statistical release. The survey response rate of companies in the scope of the survey in 2021 was 87%, a similar response rate to 2020.
An adjustment method has been developed and applied to the data collected to account for non-response in the survey. Although the Chamber of Shipping data does not provide a complete coverage of the UK shipping industry, the statistics represent the best current estimate.