Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the measures in place in each EU member state to tackle nationality-based pay discrimination against seafarers.

In 2015 my officials contacted all of the EU member states with a maritime sector to determine how they approached this issue. The responses we received suggested that the general approach harmonised closely with our own.

To seek information from a broader base, as part of the Post Implementation Review of the Equality Act 2010 (currently being undertaken by my department) social partners have been surveyed about any evidence they may have which would indicate that nationality-based pay discrimination is prohibited in other member states. This review is due for publication in summer 2016.