Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the effect on seafarer employment of the granting of successive waivers from Immigration Rules for seafarers from non-European Economic Area countries to work on merchant vessels servicing construction and maintenance projects in the offshore wind sector since 2016.

There have been no discussions with the Home Secretary on this topic, however officials have had discussions with Home Office counterparts. For a non-EEA individual to work in UK territorial waters a visa is required as per Home Office regulations. Home Office granted the initial waiver to offshore workers after representation from the offshore industry and have granted further extensions based on continued evidence from the industry that it is necessary.