Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what lessons the Government has identified from recent incidents involving containers lost at sea; and whether any changes to policy or guidance are being considered to reduce the likelihood or impact of similar incidents in future.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) is conducting a safety investigation into the recent incident of loss of containers at sea. This will establish the cause of events that led to this incident to understand why it happened and make recommendations to prevent similar incidents reoccurring.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how the Maritime and Coastguard Agency coordinates with local authorities and environmental regulators when containers or cargo are lost at sea and subsequently wash ashore.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Once notified, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) will alert stakeholders such as local authorities, environmental regulators, including Department for Fisheries and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and other relevant organisations via a standard pollution report known as POLREP. The POLREP is an established mechanism for alerting relevant UK government authorities. If cargo is likely to impact the shoreline the local authorities will also be contacted by telephone to provide additional briefing and to ensure the POLREP was received and content noted.

Additionally, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency will contact the relevant Standing Environment Group and discuss whether it would be appropriate to formally activate an operational Environment Group. The Environment Group will provide advice on potential environmental sensitivities which may be impacted by the incident or the responses being considered for dealing with the pollution. As a minimum the membership of the Environment Group will be comprised of the environmental regulator, statutory nature conservation body, fisheries regulator and public health body relevant to the incident location.

Responsibility for clean up on the shoreline sits with the local authority or landowner. If the local authority determine the incident to warrant a multiagency response, as per civil contingency emergency response arrangements, the MCA would be represented in those meetings to provide updates on any ongoing maritime operations (salvage and pollution response), deliver the outputs of any aerial or satellite surveillance and to provide advice in relation to impacts of the containers and their contents.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential risks posed to navigation and public safety by containers lost overboard; and what processes are in place to monitor and recover such containers.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Identification and recovery of lost containers is the responsibility of the owners and insurers of the vessel. In the recent incident in the Solent, surveys were commissioned by the vessel’s insurers, working with the Deputy Secretary of State’s Representative for Maritime Salvage and Intervention, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, and the Department for Transport.

Local navigation warnings remain in place as a precaution whilst further surveys are considered. The clean-up and recovery of containers on the shoreline has been led by West Sussex County Council.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what oversight exists of compliance with cargo securing requirements for container vessels, including how such compliance is monitored and enforced.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Foreign Flagged vessels in UK ports are subject to Port State Control Inspections in line with the Paris Memorandum of Understanding, an Inspection Regime to which the UK is a committed signatory. Cargo securing is subject to inspection at these attendances.

UK Flagged vessels to which the International Safety Management Code applies are audited in relation to vessel operations, including cargo stowage and securing. Vessels required to have Cargo Securing Manuals have these approved either by the MCA or by a Recognised Organisation authorised to do so on their behalf. UK vessels are also subject to general inspections.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help ensure that the polluter pays principle is upheld in cases where commercial maritime incidents result in environmental damage and costs being incurred by local authorities.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government is committed to upholding the polluter pays principle in cases where commercial maritime incidents result in environmental damage. 'Polluter pays' is an established principle in international environmental law, including conventions implemented by the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

Where an incident occurs, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) works closely with local authorities and other operational partners to coordinate the immediate response and any required clean‑up activity. Once these operations are concluded, MCA supports local authorities in pursuing the recovery of costs directly from the shipowner or its insurer.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what standards or frameworks are used to assess when ongoing environmental monitoring is required following the release of plastics, foam, or other persistent materials into the marine environment.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The National Contingency Plan (NCP) has been developed to ensure there is a timely, measured and effective response to incidents of, and impact from, marine pollution, arising from both marine and terrestrial sources. The NCP sets out the role of the Environment Group, who provide public health and environmental advice to all response units with a role in responding to a significant maritime pollution incident. The Pollution Response in Emergencies: Marine Impact Assessment and Monitoring group (PREMIAM) is a UK-wide collaborative initiative, coordinated by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), focused on improving post-spill monitoring and response for oil and chemical incidents in the marine environment by developing guidelines, integrating Government agencies, and building a network of experts and service providers. In the event of a significant pollution incident the PREMIAM Monitoring Coordination Cell (PMCC) is stood up. The PMCC is the group responsible for the overall conduct and integrated coordination of monitoring and impact assessment activities following a significant marine incident, ensuring these activities are in line with the PREMIAM post-spill monitoring guidelines. In England the PMCC is chaired by Cefas.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance is issued to local authorities on recording and recovering costs incurred during environmental clean-up operations following maritime incidents; and whether such guidance allows for costs incurred by organised charity, conservation, or wildlife groups supporting those clean-up efforts to be included within claims made against responsible commercial parties.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

MHCLG is not responsible for maritime or environmental clean-up operations. The Lead Government Department responsibility for these sits with the Department for Transport and the Environment Agency, which are responsible for guidance to local authorities on these issues. I would also refer the hon Lady to the Answer my hon. Friend the Minister for Aviation, Maritime and Security gave to the Member for North West Norfolk (James Wild) on 29 April 2025 UIN 46848.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what support his Department provides to local authorities responding to maritime incidents that result in environmental contamination or significant shoreline clean-up operations.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

MHCLG is not responsible for maritime or environmental clean-up operations. The Lead Government Department responsibility for these sits with the Department for Transport and the Environment Agency, which are responsible for guidance to local authorities on these issues. I would also refer the hon Lady to the Answer my hon. Friend the Minister for Aviation, Maritime and Security gave to the Member for North West Norfolk (James Wild) on 29 April 2025 UIN 46848.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance exists on public communication and safety messaging by local authorities during environmental incidents affecting coastal communities.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

MHCLG is not responsible for maritime or environmental clean-up operations. The Lead Government Department responsibility for these sits with the Department for Transport and the Environment Agency, which are responsible for guidance to local authorities on these issues. I would also refer the hon Lady to the Answer my hon. Friend the Minister for Aviation, Maritime and Security gave to the Member for North West Norfolk (James Wild) on 29 April 2025 UIN 46848.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance his Department has issued to local authorities on (a) formally notifying and (b) engaging with Members of Parliament during significant environmental or public safety incidents affecting their constituencies.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The government issues a range of guidance on the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, its associated regulations and wider non-statutory arrangements for civil protection. This supports local responders, which includes Local Authorities, to understand how to fulfil their duties under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 and how to prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies taking place in the UK, including environmental and public safety incidents.

Cabinet Office guidance, including the ‘Emergency Response and Recovery’ guidance and ‘National Resilience Standards for Local Resilience Forums’ guidance, provides information on protocols that local responders should have for ensuring appropriate political involvement in the management of emergencies, particularly in the recovery phase. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has also issued ‘Local authorities’ preparedness for civil emergencies: a good practice guide for chief executives’ guidance which provides assistance to chief executives of local authorities to make sure they are well-prepared to respond and recover from emergencies. This includes the need to provide clear information to politicians on what is happening during an emergency.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of staffing pressures in urgent and emergency care services in West Sussex, including vacancy rates, during periods of peak winter demand; and what support is available through national winter pressures funding.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is clear that patients should expect and receive high quality care throughout the year, including during peak winter demand.

We started earlier and have done more than ever to prepare for winter this year. We continue to monitor the impact of winter pressures on the National Health Service over the winter months, providing additional support to services across the country as needed.

Decisions about workforce planning, including recruitment and vacancy management, are a matter for individual NHS employers who are best placed to assess local staffing needs and deploy staff flexibly to maintain safe and effective services. NHS England works closely with systems, including in West Sussex, to support local workforce resilience during the winter period.

Our immediate focus is on ensuring the resources already available are used as effectively as possible, with funding directed to frontline care, additional capacity, and improving patient flow. The funding settlement for this year included specific allocations for winter resilience and urgent and emergency care, which are being targeted where they will have the greatest impact.

We will continue to keep the situation under close review with NHS England and if further support is required to maintain patient safety and operational resilience, those discussions will take place in the usual way.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of accident and emergency capacity and performance at NHS trusts in West Sussex; and what support is being provided to those trusts to manage current levels of demand.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

No specific assessment has been made. However, we acknowledge that accident and emergency care performance has not consistently met expectations in recent years, and we are taking serious steps to address this.

Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26, backed by almost £450 million of capital investment, commits to at least 78% of accident and emergency patients being admitted, transferred, or discharged within four hours by March 2026.

We are putting significant funding into expanding urgent and emergency service access for those most in need, including new Urgent Treatment Centres and Same Day Emergency Care facilities. This will mean 800,000 fewer accident and emergency patients waiting over four hours this year.

In July 2025, we published our 10-Year Health Plan which commits to reducing accident and emergency waiting times in the longer-term, shifting care into the community with Neighbourhood Health Services.

Found: Wednesbury) John Cooper (Conservative; Dumfries and Galloway) Sarah Edwards (Labour; Tamworth) Alison Griffiths

Found: Members present: Liam Byrne (Chair); Dan Aldridge; Antonia Bance; John Cooper; Sarah Edwards; Alison Griffiths

Found: Members present: Liam Byrne (Chair); Dan Aldridge; Antonia Bance; John Cooper; Sarah Edwards; Alison Griffiths

Found: Members present: Liam Byrne (Chair); Dan Aldridge; Antonia Bance; John Cooper; Sarah Edwards; Alison Griffiths

Air pollution is a serious threat to both public health and the natural environment. It has been linked to heart disease, strokes, cancer, asthma and impacts on lung development in children. Tens of thousands of lives are being shortened in the UK by air pollution, according to the Chair of the Environment Agency.