Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to Section 3 of his Department's dataset entitled Seafarers in the UK Shipping Industry: 2023, published on 22 February 2024, if he will make it his policy to increase the (a) number and (b) proportion of UK seafarers working on merchant ships owned by members of the UK Chamber of Shipping.

The Department for Transport remains committed to growing the UK seafaring population and promoting the Merchant Navy as a career choice. The Department is future proofing seafarer training through the Cadet Training and Modernisation programme and the Ratings Review. The Department funds 50% of the cost of cadet training through the Support for Maritime Training fund and is supporting diversity through initiatives such as the Roadshow for Girls, which promotes STEM and maritime careers.

The Department has also amended UK legislation, increasing seafarer employment protections and allowing UK seafarers to compete for jobs on a level playing field. We continue to promote seafarer welfare and employment protection on the international stage. Our policies ensure foreign seafarers are paid a fair wage when working in the UK. UK visa policies further protect foreign seafarers from wage differential and reduce industry reliance on cheaper overseas labour at the expense of UK seafarers.