Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of out-of-town (a) taxi and (b) private hire vehicle licensing on local authority enforcement capabilities and public safety; and what steps she is taking to support local councils to meet the challenges posed by drivers operating outside the area in which they are licensed.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Since coming into Government, I have been actively looking at safeguarding in relation to taxis and private hire vehicles. I welcome the work by Baroness Casey in her audit of group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse and her report adds valuable evidence to my department’s ongoing work.
The Government will legislate to address the issues raised in the report and there are two outcomes I am clear we must achieve; the first is ensuring we have consistently high safeguarding standards and the second is that there is no unintended reduction in the availability of taxi and private hire vehicle services, which could disproportionately impact women and girls and disabled people, who rely on these services the most. That is why we are considering all options – including out-of-area working, national standards, enforcement and transferring licensing to local transport authorities.
Public safety is an utmost priority, and both the Government and licensing authorities have an important role in the effective regulation of the sector in England.
Legislation passed in 2022 places a requirement on licensing authorities in England to share safeguarding, road safety or equality concerns about drivers with the authority that issued the licence. The authority that issued the licence must then consider whether to suspend or revoke the driver’s licence and must inform the authority that raised the concerns of their decision.
Statutory guidance, published by the Department for Transport in 2020, is clear that licensing authorities should, where the need arises, jointly authorise officers from other authorities so that compliance and enforcement action can be taken against licensees from outside their area. The same guidance also highlights that working in partnership with the police is vital for licensing authorities to share information as quickly as possible.
Best Practice Guidance issued in 2023 highlights how the Community Safety Accreditation Scheme can be used to increase the powers licensing enforcement officers have available. Officers authorised by the chief constables of their local force can be given powers to stop vehicles for inspection, testing and verification of licensing conditions, and the power to demand the name and address of the driver. If a driver fails to stop when directed by a CSAS-trained officer, it is a criminal offence and can be reported to the police for investigation and action.
Licensing authorities can also to carry out joint operations with other authorities and their local police force.
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an estimate of the number of (a) company groups that have been entered into the Tonnage Tax scheme and (b) vessels entered into the scheme by those company groups in each year since 2000; and what flags of registration those companies flew.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department does not maintain cumulative records of all companies that have participated in the Tonnage Tax system, as there is no business requirement to do so. The training obligation is assessed annually. However, we can provide the most recent figures as of 1 October 2024.
Currently, there are 82 companies participating in the Tonnage Tax scheme, encompassing 870 ships, 331 of which are UK-flagged. Additionally, 35 companies are recorded as having exited the scheme.
Excluding the 331 ships registered in the UK, other ships in the scheme are registered under the following flags:
· Cyprus:6
· Denmark: 16
· Finland: 3
· Italy: 1
· Malta: 43
· Netherlands: 2
· Norway: 9
· Portugal: 6
· Spain: 1
· Antigua and Barbuda: 6
· Bahamas: 99
· Bermuda: 8
· Brazil: 3
· Cayman Islands: 1
· Gibraltar: 8
· Hong Kong: 16
· Isle of Man: 44
· Liberia: 161
· Madeira: 10
· Marshall Islands: 49
· Panama: 30
· St. Vincent: 1
· Singapore: 15
· USA: 1
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2024 to Question 18420, if he will have discussions with DP World on the solvency of P&O Ferries Limited.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The Secretary of State recently met DP World to discuss P&O Ferries’ commitment to the Seafarers’ Charter and its ambitions for its UK operations. The Secretary of State has not had discussions with DP World on the solvency of P&O Ferries Limited.
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations his Department has received from DP World on maritime and ports policy since 17 March 2022.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The Department has received contact from DP World on the following maritime and port related issues:
From February 2023, DP World met Department officials on the progress of design and implementation of their Modal Shift incentivisation scheme at DP World’s Port of Southampton facility, which Rail officials acknowledged.
In November 2023, DP World wrote to seek an opportunity to discuss DP World’s continued investment in the UK, and reset the relationship with the Government after a period of non engagement with the Department following the P&O Ferries sackings.
More recently, last week the Department was notified of P&O Ferries’ intent to sign the Seafarers’ Charter.
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he last held discussions with DP World on the operation of cross channel ferry services.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The current Secretary of State and Department for Transport Ministers have held no discussions with DP World on the operation of cross-channel ferry services. Last week, DP World and P&O Ferries notified the Department it is committed to signing the Seafarers’ Charter.
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many new vessels were registered with the UK Ship Register since 30 March 2022.
Answered by Guy Opperman
Based on the UK Ship Register data, from March 2022 to December 2023 (the most recent month for which data is finalised), 96 merchant and pleasure vessels, joined the UK ship Register.
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Extra protections for seafarers as government introduces new maritime laws, published on 30 March 2022, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of those new laws on the crewing model operated in the short sea ferry sector by (a) P&O Ferries and (b) other operators.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The Seafarers’ Wages Act 2023 received Royal Assent in March 2023. The Act makes access to UK ports for services calling at a UK port at least 120 times a year conditional on payment of the equivalent of the UK National Minimum Wage.
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the conditions of employment for agency crew working on P&O Ferries’ international fleet from UK ports.
Answered by Guy Opperman
We expect all operators to, at a minimum, comply with the relevant international standards for seafarer working conditions, and we inspect compliance with these during periodic vessel inspections. We continue to work internationally to improve working conditions for seafarers.
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many shipping companies have signed the Seafarers Charter.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The Seafarers’ Charter was introduced to improve working conditions for seafarers aboard ferries operating internationally from UK ports. Four major international ferry operators have signed up to working towards the requirements of the Seafarers’ Charter: Brittany Ferries, Condor Ferries, DFDS and Stena Line.
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an estimate of the number of seafarers employed on P&O Ferries’ vessels working from UK ports.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The Department for Transport published estimates of the number of seafarers in the UK shipping industry online, at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/seafarers-in-the-uk-shipping-industry-2023.
One of the sources for this report is a seafarer employment survey run by the UK Chamber of Shipping of their membership, which P&O Ferries are part of. Due to commercial sensitivity, we cannot provide specific company breakdowns from this data. We are also unable to estimate the number of seafarers employed on P&O Ferries’ working from UK ports.