Asked by: Mick Whitley (Labour - Birkenhead)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had discussions with Irish Ferries on the (a) welfare and (b) employment conditions of seafarers employed on the ferry Norbay.
Answered by Guy Opperman
Irish Ferries currently operates on an international route and under international law the requirements for the welfare and employment conditions rest with the flag state, which is currently Bermuda. We would expect Irish Ferries to comply with all international requirements as required by Bermuda.
Asked by: Mick Whitley (Labour - Birkenhead)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the supply of seafarer (a) ratings and (b) officers to the (i) coastal and (ii) short sea ferry sectors.
Answered by Guy Opperman
Following the recommendations and steer of the Maritime Skills Commission (MSC), the Department for Transport is currently modernising seafarer training with industry stakeholders. The reviews commissioned by the MSC have included a market intelligence report, a cadet training review, and a ratings review. The analysis and recommendations from these reports have been used by the Department to set up various projects to modernise and enhance seafarer training. This includes an industry Working Group, overseen by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), that targets officer training in the coastal area. Following the recent Ratings Review, the MCA will now be working with industry to promote and enhance training for ratings.
Asked by: Mick Whitley (Labour - Birkenhead)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the ferry Norbay was last inspected in a UK port for compliance with the Maritime Labour Convention by surveyors from the Bermudan Ship Register.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The last renewal inspection for compliance with the requirements of the Maritime Labour Convention was carried out on board NORBAY in Dublin on 5 September 2022 by Inspectors from the Bermuda Shipping and Maritime Authority (BSMA). One Observation was made during this inspection and the vessel was issued with a Maritime Labour Convention Certificate which is valid until 27 February 2027. NORBAY is surveyed annually for issuance of a Passenger Ship Safety Certificate, and this was last completed in Liverpool by Surveyors from the BSMA on 5 January 2023.
Asked by: Mick Whitley (Labour - Birkenhead)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of Irish Ferries Freight’s proposal for a new service between Scotland and Northern Ireland on seafarer (a) welfare and (b) employment.
Answered by Guy Opperman
As this is a commercial decision, the Secretary of State has not met with Irish Ferries to discuss its proposal for a new freight route. We would expect Irish Ferries to comply with all international requirements as required by the flag state of the vessel and to comply with UK law as applicable.
Asked by: Mick Whitley (Labour - Birkenhead)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the Bermudan Ship Register's compliance with core international maritime and labour conventions.
Answered by Guy Opperman
Bermuda Shipping and Maritime Authority (BSMA) were audited by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) in July 2023 to assess compliance with the mandatory International Maritime Organization (IMO) Instruments Implementation Code and UK Secretary of State for Transport's general superintendency over all British shipping matters. These are routine and regular audits. BSMA had areas of ongoing minor actions in the context of continuous improvement but were found to be satisfactorily discharging their obligations under international maritime conventions including the Maritime Labour Convention.
Asked by: Mick Whitley (Labour - Birkenhead)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department is taking steps to support local authorities to develop (a) carbon-neutral and (b) autonomous public transport systems.
Answered by Anthony Browne
The Transport Decarbonisation Plan set out how we will drive decarbonisation at the local level, outlining how a ‘place-based’ approach will help make our villages, towns and cities cleaner, greener, healthier and more prosperous places to live, work and enjoy
The Department for Transport is also committing record amounts of funding for decarbonising public transport. Since March 2020, the Department has invested over £3.5 billion in buses, including £129 million to support the transition to an entirely zero-emission bus fleet. This has helped deliver 4,000 zero-emission buses across the UK.
In March 2023, DfT announced the launch of the £381 million Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund. The LEVI Fund supports local authorities (LAs) in England to work with industry and transform the availability of EV charging for drivers without off-street parking. This will deliver tens of thousands of local chargepoints, ensuring the transition to electric vehicles (EV) takes place in every part of the country.
Additionally, £1.3 million of Government funding is supporting local authorities and regional transport operators to study how self-driving vehicle technology can improve local public transport in remote, rural, and urban areas. Studies will look into how self-driving vehicle technology could be cheaper, emit less carbon, and increase safety and security compared to other forms of mass transit. The grants will help local places to build evidence on utilising emerging transport technologies to decrease carbon emissions.
Asked by: Mick Whitley (Labour - Birkenhead)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what data his Department holds on the number of new buses registered since 2017 that did not have (a) next stop, (b) final destination and (c) audio-visual announcements installed.
Answered by Richard Holden - Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
Since 2018, the Department has allocated £3.55m to the Real Time Information Group to support smaller operators with the provision of audible and visible information on local bus and coach services across England, Scotland and Wales. Accessibility policy is devolved in Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Mick Whitley (Labour - Birkenhead)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding his Department allocated to installing audio-visual equipment on buses in (a) Scotland, (b) England, (c) Wales, (d) Northern Ireland in the latest period for which figures are available.
Answered by Richard Holden - Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
Since 2018, the Department has allocated £3.55m to the Real Time Information Group to support smaller operators with the provision of audible and visible information on local bus and coach services across England, Scotland and Wales. Accessibility policy is devolved in Northern Ireland.