Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many UK (a) passengers and (b) businesses have been affected by the delay in the arrival of the Irish Ferries vessel WB Yeats on commercial routes in the Irish Sea.

Data on the number and the nationality of passengers affected will be held by the relevant ferry operator. In this instance, Irish Ferries has stated that 5,746 customers are affected in total, but a breakdown by nationality is not provided.

However, given that the disrupted route is Dublin to Cherbourg the number of UK customers impacted is likely to be minimal. If UK passengers are affected then Irish Ferries are offering alternative travel arrangements, reimbursements and refunds, and the EU Regulation on maritime passenger rights also applies in these circumstances.