Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which ferry operators have signed up to the voluntary Seafarers Charter published by her Department on 18 July 2023; and what steps she is taking to improve (a) seafarer working conditions and (b) maritime safety.

A number of ferry operators have made commitments to comply with the voluntary Seafarers’ Charter and have provided evidence to the Department for Transport to support their compliance. Officials are assessing the evidence and working with operators to ensure that they meet the required standards.

Improving seafarer working conditions is a priority for the department. We have also introduced measures in the Employment Rights Bill to further strengthen workers’ rights at sea. We are delivering on our commitment to a mandatory Seafarers’ Charter by making compliance with regulations on pay, tours of duty, fatigue management and safety training, conditions of port entry. We are also ensuring that we have the necessary powers to uphold our international obligations by implementing amendments to international maritime conventions to which we have signed up, and we are closing the loophole which allowed P&O Ferries to avoid notifying the UK government of collective redundancies on foreign flagged vessels without prosecution.

Safety underpins all aspects of maritime activity and is a key Government priority. A Maritime Safety Action Plan was published in 2019 explaining what DfT, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB), our General Lighthouse Authorities and others are doing to support the sector to deliver continuous improvement in performance.