Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will take steps to ensure that HMRC National Minimum Wage Enforcement increase the amount of targeted enforcement work for seafarers working in the shipping industry.

Enforcement of the National Minimum Wage is a priority for the Government. Since 2015, we have doubled the budget to enforce the NMW and in 2018/19 HM Revenue & Customs identified a record £24.4 million in arrears for over 220,000 workers.

HMRC takes a risk-based approach to enforcement, which means they can flex their resources to tackle an emerging threat or issue, including for seafarers working in the shipping industry. Indeed, HMRC have recently closed a seafarer case, where arrears of £31,042 were identified for 9 workers, with penalties of over £56,000.

The Government has begun working on the next steps necessary to extend the NMW to all seafarers on all vessels on domestic voyages in UK territorial waters, and will look to introduce legislation in the autumn.