Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of changes to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s national network of marine offices on (a) vessel surveyor support and (b) seafarer examination and certification services.

The Survey and Inspection transformation programme is a four-year change programme currently less than halfway through implementation. The changes to the Marine Office network estate laydown remain on schedule to complete in March 2019 and the new North East Examination Centre has already opened in South Shields.

An assessment of the impact of the changes will be undertaken at an appropriate time after implementation has completed.