Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of measures to protect lifeline ferry services in the UK from the economic effects of the covid-19 outbreak.

The emergency package of up to £10.5m granted by the Government on 24 April has safeguarded vital lifeline services in Isle of Wight and the Isles of Scilly during the Covid-19 outbreak. The package has ensured the continued access for these communities to healthcare services on the mainland and protected the flow of critical supplies to these regions.

I am grateful for the continued efforts by lifeline operators in running their crucial services throughout the global pandemic. We continue to work closely with the providers of these services and all relevant local stakeholders.

Officials and I also liaise with our counterparts in the Devolved Administrations on the support they are providing to lifeline services in other parts of the UK.