Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to bring forward primary legislation to enable the safe and lawful operation of autonomous and remotely operated maritime vessels in UK waters during this parliamentary session.

The Government recognises the transformative potential of autonomous and remotely operated maritime vessels and the need to ensure their safe and lawful operation in UK waters.

The King’s Speech set out the Government’s plans to introduce the Regulating for Growth Bill. We will explore the establishment of an ambitious regulatory sandbox for maritime autonomy as a flagship use case for the Bill’s sandbox powers, to trial safely breaking down regulatory barriers and increasing UK competitiveness on the global stage for commercial vessels. This in turn, could enable controlled testing of next generation defence technology in closely supervised environments, supporting national security while accelerating innovation, productivity and growth across the UK defence industrial base.