Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to provide (1) support, and (2) protection, for the staff of P&O Ferries who were made redundant on 17 March.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) stands ready to support anyone affected by this announcement, with our Rapid Response Service (RRS) offer. This is a service designed to give support and advice to employers and their employees when faced with redundancy.

The range of support available from Jobcentre Plus and partners may include:

• Connecting people to jobs in the labour market
• Information, advice and guidance
• Help with job search including CV writing, interview skills, where to find jobs and how to apply for them.
• Help to assess transferable skills in relation to the local labour market by conducting a Skills Transfer Analysis
• Vocational training to address skills needs
• Other RRS funded support to help overcome barriers to getting a job or starting self-employment

In addition, DWP is also working closely with the Department for Transport to implement a unique portal on the Aviation Skills Retention Platform (ASRP) for workers affected by the P&O redundancy. The portal has been designed to directly target individuals affected to provide visibility of jobs in aviation and wider transport sectors. The new portal will provide all registered companies with the opportunity to engage with P&O Ferries workers, highlighting opportunities to the group as a whole, rather than individually, and ensure workers can be approached with a range of opportunities that match their skills.

Information on other Government programmes on retraining such as Department for Educations Skills Bootcamps and Apprenticeships will also be shared with affected P&O employees.