Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency on the loss of competition and choice on the River Thames as a result of that agency's proposals for older passenger boats.
As Minister responsible for shipping matters, I have regular discussions with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) about its work.
The MCA developed an impact assessment on its proposals for older domestic passenger ships which has been updated as new information is received, in particular from the public consultations. The MCA has been in contact with the Competition and Markets Authority to discuss the proposals and has included a Competition Impact Assessment element within the main impact assessment.
The proposal is progressing through the normal regulatory scrutiny process.