Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many freedom of information requests his Department has referred to the central Cabinet Office Clearing House for advice on handling in each year since 2016.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
The information requested can only be provided at disproportionate cost, as we do not have a central record of referrals to the clearing house over this period.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department operates a red, amber and green rating system for categorising Freedom of Information requests according to their presentational sensitivity.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
My Department does not operate a red, amber and green rating system for categorising Freedom of Information requests according to their presentational sensitivity.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether bus operators in receipt of the COVID-19 Bus Services Support Grant are permitted to amend ticket validity times.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The terms and conditions of the COVID-19 Bus Services Support Grant do not exclude operators from amending ticket validity times. However, payment of the grant is based on the operator’s original fare structures.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether prior consent is required from his Department for a bus operator in receipt of the COVID-19 Bus Services Support Grant to change ticket validity times.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The terms and conditions of the COVID-19 Bus Services Support Grant does not require operators to seek consent from the Department to change ticket validity times. However, payment of the grant is based on the operator’s original fare structures.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the terms of the COVID-19 Bus Services Support Grant define an amendment to ticket validity times as a fare price increase.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The terms and conditions of the COVID-19 Bus Services Support Grant does not define an amendment to ticket validity times as a fare price increase. However, payment of the grant is based on the operator’s original fare structures, and operators are not permitted to increase or decrease the price of tickets.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department for Transport:
What steps he is taking to help protect seafarers from nationality-based pay discrimination.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The Equality Act 2010 (Work on Ships and Hovercraft) Regulations 2011 provides protection for EEA seafarers and those from designated States. These Regulations will be reviewed later this year.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether Wallem Ship Management has been listed by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency as an approved recruitment and placement agency, in line with the requirements of the Merchant Shipping (Maritime Labour Convention) (Recruitment and Placement) Regulations 2014.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
Approval of recruitment & placement agencies is the responsibility of the State in whose territory the agency is located. Wallem Ship Management is not located in the UK; hence they are not approved by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2020 to Question 7222 on Offshore Industry: Discrimination, when his Department's review of regulations on the treatment of seafarers will commence; when the terms of reference of that review will be published; and when the trade unions organising seafarer (a) Ratings and (b) Officers will be consulted.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
The Equality Act 2010 (Work on Ships and Hovercraft) Regulations 2011 were designed to harmonise legislation as well as provide full protection to the individual. We are currently considering necessary amendments to the Regulations.
As part of that review we will consider all the Regulations therein. In undertaking such a review, we will of course work with our social partners, including the relevant trade unions.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department's Maritime 2050 strategy, whether the social framework for the UK maritime workforce proposed in that strategy will include steps to prevent offshore-based maritime employers from discriminating against seafarers on the grounds of protected characteristics.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
We are committed to develop the concept of a social framework, as referred to in the Maritime 2050 strategy. The aspiration is to provide clarity on the standards of welfare expected for our maritime workforce, regardless of whether they are working on land or at sea. This could include a review of all employment legislation explicitly pertaining to seafarers’ work and social protection, ensuring close alignment with the protections available to those working in land-based roles.
As a coastal and flag State, international law generally restricts the UK applying its domestic legislation to vessels operating outside its territorial waters and not registered in the UK.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with the Minister for Women and Equalities on employer discrimination against seafarers on grounds of protected characteristics.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
I have not had any recent discussions with the Minister for Women and Equalities on employer discrimination against seafarers on the grounds of protected characteristics. However, officials from my Department have been liaising with counterparts in the Government Equalities Office (GEO). Furthermore, officials have also been working with the International Maritime Organization and the International Labour Organization as part of the international work on women in maritime which has included discussions on how to prevent discrimination on the grounds of protected characteristics