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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Prime Minister's oral answer to the Rt Hon Keir Starmer MP on 23rd March 2022 when he confirmed legal action was being taken against P & O ferries under the Trade Union and labour relations act 1992 and the Employment Rights Act 1996, if he will confirm (a) the nature of the legal actions commenced, and (b) when those actions were commenced.

The way that P&O Ferries acted is unacceptable. My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State wrote to the Insolvency Service on 23 March asking it to undertake an urgent and thorough enquiry into the actions of P&O Ferries, to determine whether the law has been complied with and consider prompt and appropriate action where it has not.

The Insolvency Service has confirmed it has initiated formal civil and criminal investigations into the circumstances surrounding the redundancies made by P&O Ferries. While these investigations are being progressed it would not be appropriate to make further comment.