Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to increase the number of seafarer ratings in training in each of the next five years.

Work is underway in developing a range of rating apprenticeships which will deliver more routes into ratings training. The Deck Rating apprenticeship is now approved and the Maritime Caterer and Engine Room Rating apprenticeships are still under development. These apprenticeships, along with the levy, the tonnage tax ratings option and the challenge put to industry during London International Shipping Week to double the number of maritime apprenticeships will help stimulate increased demand for ratings.

Coupled with this is the Ratings Taskforce of which the Department is an active member and a number of officials also attended the Ratings Seminar held in July last year. A range of actions were put forward by attendees and the Department looks forward to seeing the development of a Ratings Strategy by the Ratings Taskforce which will address some of these actions.