Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if his Department will hold discussions with (a) P&O Ferries representatives, (b) P&O Ferries workers and (c) trade unions to inform an assessment of the appropriateness of dismissal of staff of P&O Ferries without statutory consultation.

P&O Ferries has conducted itself in an appalling manner. There are clear requirements around both consultation and notification when making collective redundancies. The Government has demanded answers from the company as to why they think they are above these rules. We have received a response to my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State’s letter to P&O Ferries, and we are reviewing their explanations. The Secretary of State has also written to the Insolvency Service asking them to consider what scope there is for further action.