Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what powers the Secretary of State has under the Pilotage Act 1987 to inspect, review or request information on the pilotage arrangements of competent harbour authorities; and whether those powers have been exercised since 2015.

There are powers outlined in Section 12 of the Pilotage Act 1987 which enable scrutiny of pilotage provision in circumstances where there are joint arrangements between Competent Harbour Authorities (CHAs), dockyard ports or other actors. These powers have not been exercised since 2015.

Maritime pilotage has an excellent safety record in the UK. However, should there be an accident or incident involving a vessel under pilotage, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch and/or the Maritime and Coastguard Agency have powers to scrutinise any records which pertain to the incident as part of their investigations.