Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on maritime (a) employment and (b) passenger and freight services of Stena Line’s announcement of three new roll-on roll-off passenger ferries on routes between UK and Irish ports from 2020.

This is a commercial decision and therefore no assessment has been made by Government. However, we are pleased to see the commitment from Stena Line to operate on these routes which recognises the growing trade between Great Britain and Ireland. The newer, larger and more efficient vessels offer opportunities to improve freight capacity and customer experience. Historically Stena Line have committed to employing people from the local area and we hope they continue to do so.