Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of ensuring ships (a) registered in UK and (b) mainly operating in the UK are staffed by UK nationals or permanent residents of the UK to assist the UK seafaring industry.

The Government acknowledges the international nature of the shipping industry and that it is customary for shipping companies to have the freedom to flag and crew vessels in a manner that suits their individual operating models. There are currently no proposals to restrict vessel access to the UK domestic market.