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Written Question
Shipping: Conditions of Employment
Thursday 27th April 2023

Asked by: Dean Russell (Conservative - Watford)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress he has made on implementing the Nine-point plan for seafarers published 6 July 2022.

Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

Since announcing the Nine Point Plan the Government has:

  • Brought in the Seafarers’ Wages Act which will ensure that seafarers employed aboard ships regularly operating from UK ports will be paid at least an equivalent to the National Minimum Wage in UK waters.
  • Worked with industry and unions to develop the Seafarers’ Charter, which will encourage and recognise ferry operators taking extra steps to provide good working conditions.
  • Published a consultation on a draft Code of Practice on Fire and Rehire, the responses to which are now being considered by the Department for Business and Trade.
  • Supported amendments to the Maritime Labour Convention to improve access to food and drinking water and appropriately sized PPE, and led development of guidance to support seafarers who face abandonment.
  • Commissioned research into seafarer fatigue to give us more robust evidence about the impact of roster patterns.
  • Commissioned research into improving internet connectivity for seafarers, as connectivity to shore and communication with friends and family is important for those at sea.

Seafarer welfare is inextricably linked to international maritime law and regulation. As such it must be addressed with international partners and through international fora. The UK will continue to lead the way in seafarer welfare and will not shy away from its role as an international leader in championing this important cause.

Written Question
Shipping: Pay
Monday 3rd April 2023

Asked by: Dean Russell (Conservative - Watford)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the progress of bilateral wage corridor negotiations for seafarers.

Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

The UK’s Seafarers’ Wages Act obtained Royal Assent earlier this month. I am also pleased to report progress in the French National Assembly of the French Government’s legislation on minimum wages for seafarers. When our respective legislation comes into force, the UK and France will have created a minimum wage corridor on the short strait, enhancing the livelihoods of the seafarers that work on this important route.

We continue to engage with a range of international partners, including France, to further enhance seafarer protections internationally.

Written Question
Road Traffic Control
Friday 5th March 2021

Asked by: Dean Russell (Conservative - Watford)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the importance of advertising Traffic Regulation Orders in local newspapers to (a) the elderly and vulnerable, (b) other local residents and (b) local media organisations.

Answered by Rachel Maclean

The most recent assessments we have made about Traffic Regulation Orders are in two reports. The first discovery research report was published in 2019 and laid the foundations for the second report available here:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/traffic-regulation-orders-identifying-improvements-to-the-legislative-process-in-england.

Each of these reports considered the impacts on different groups of potential improvements to the legislative process.

The Department plans to consult on proposed reforms to Traffic Regulation Orders more generally later in 2021. An Impact Assessment will accompany this consultation.