Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress has been made on developing an industrial strategy for the maritime sector in (a) Wales and (b) the UK since the publication of the Green Paper entitled Building our Industrial Strategy in January 2017.

The maritime industry plays a vital role in our economy. As a sector that depends on its skilled workforce, that is geographically spread across the country and is forward looking, it potentially has much to offer to drive growth across the UK, including Wales.

Following the publication of the Industrial Strategy Green Paper in January 2017, Maritime UK identified itself as a sector champion and sought to corral potential bids for a sector deal into one place.

I welcome the leadership that Maritime UK has demonstrated, and recognise the hard work that industry has put into this. I will continue to support and work closely with them to produce a compelling bid for a sector deal.

Additionally, we are working to coordinate the submission of the sector deal with our Maritime 2050 strategy, which is a long term strategic vision for the sector. The overarching aim is to establish clear trajectories against which government and business can plan for the long-term, maintaining our position as a global maritime leader and delivering future prosperity.