Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department's press release of 8 May 2025 entitled Seafarer cadets funding secured for extra 12 months by Maritime and Coastguard Agency, what estimates the Maritime and Coastguard Agency has made of the (a) cost and (b) potential impact of this policy on seafarer training.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has commissioned a research project, to be carried out by an external supplier supported by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, to assess the effectiveness and value for money of the Support for Maritime Training (SMarT) funding. The aim is to ensure the UK continues to provide a talented pool of seafarers to meet its economic and strategic maritime needs. This will be achieved through an effective funding system that delivers best value in terms of outcomes.
The external supplier is about to engage with seafarers, employers, and other key stakeholders to gather data and evidence. The resulting report will evaluate the scheme’s past performance and provide information to support the development of a future funding strategy and inform future policy development. The project is expected to be completed by the end of September 2025.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s expenditure on support for the maritime training scheme in 2024-25.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The estimated expenditure by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency on the Support for Maritime Training (SMarT) scheme for the financial year 2024–25 is £16.835 million.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 6 May 2025 to Question 48569 on Shipping: Training, what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Education on the (a) number and (b) type of maritime apprentices that will be offered by maritime (i) colleges and (ii) training providers in England in each year from 2025-26 to 2029-30.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
There have been no discussions with the Secretary of State for Education on the (a) number and (b) type of maritime apprentices that will be offered by maritime (i) colleges and (ii) training providers in England in each year from 2025-26 to 2029-30. The UK remains committed to growing the number of trainee seafarers, as demonstrated though the work of the Cadet Training and Modernisation Programme and the Ratings Review. Trained seafarers benefit both UK economic growth and support a maritime sector fit for future. DfT officials are engaging with the Department for Education on the establishment of Skills England and Ministers are kept updated as this work is progressed.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department's statistics entitled Seafarers in the UK Shipping Industry: 2024, published on 26 February 2025, if she will work with maritime trade unions to set targets for the number of maritime apprentices in (a) Deck, (b) Engine, (c) Electro-technical (d) Catering and (e) On Board Service roles.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The UK has a strategic need to ensure a pipeline of trained seafarers, particularly with greener ships, future fuels, new technologies and automation. The Department is working with the sector, including trade unions, to deliver the recommendations from the Ratings Review, published in 2023. This will ensure the UK has the ratings workforce needed to secure the long-term strength of our maritime industry.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 6 May 2025 to Question 48569 on Shipping: Training, what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Education on the (a) number and (b) type of maritime apprenticeships that maritime (i) colleges and (ii) training providers will offer in each year from 2025 to 2030.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Ratings Review Oversight Committee, made up of industry representatives and officials, is responsible for delivering the recommendations from the review. This will include engagement with the Department for Education.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 23 April 2025 to Question 44602 on Seafarer training and skills, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of the new training scheme on the (a) qualifications and (b) work of seafarer (i) Ratings and (ii) apprentices.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport is actively undertaking multiple projects in collaboration with industry stakeholders to update and modernise seafarer training. Two key examples of these initiatives are:
While apprenticeships are industry-led, the department actively plays a role in their development to ensure that the qualifications achieved enable seafarers to obtain internationally recognised maritime qualifications.
The collaborative approach of the Department with employers, seafarer representatives, and maritime training institutions aims to reflect current industry practices and technologies, ensuring that ratings are equipped with the necessary skills to perform their roles effectively. This strategy aims to enhance the employability of UK seafarers in a globally competitive market.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions she has had with (a) InnovateUK and (b) the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology on the appraisal of projects funded in each round of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC) is funded by the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE) programme in the Department for Transport, to support innovation in the maritime sector. The CMDC is delivered and managed by Innovate UK on behalf of the Department.
We are committed to a robust evaluation of the UK SHORE programme. The Department has commissioned Frontier Economics and SYSTRA Ltd to conduct a comprehensive independent evaluation of the UK SHORE programme, which is assessing the processes and impact of all UK SHORE schemes and will inform future policy development.
In March 2025, the Department for Transport published a report setting out the early outcomes of the evaluation of the UK SHORE programme to date, including completed projects in the CMDC, with the final report due in Autumn 2025.
Officials regularly discuss the appraisal of CMDC projects with Innovate UK, who play a key role in collecting project monitoring data to inform the evaluation programme.
We work jointly across Government to develop policies, regulation and mechanisms to support maritime environment and decarbonisation, including with the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions she has had with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency on the development of seafarer (a) training, (b) skills and (c) employment policy as a result of projects funded through the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport has been in frequent discussion with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), which oversees UK seafarer training, to ensure green skills are embedded in the new training scheme. This scheme, developed with industry input and coordinated by the MCA, will launch in September 2025. It includes training on future fuels and new technologies, complementing the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition's projects aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Furthermore, the MCA has a formal role in both the design and delivery of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition's programme and was closely involved in the design of the latest funding competition, which includes provision for bids covering training and skills.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department holds data on (a) vessel operation and (b) maritime skills recorded as part of Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition projects funded by the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions in her Department.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC) is funded by the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE) programme in the Department for Transport. The CMDC has supported a range of feasibility studies, pre-deployment trials and short demonstrations.
We are committed to a robust evaluation of the UK SHORE programme. The Department has commissioned Frontier Economics and SYSTRA Ltd to conduct a comprehensive independent evaluation of the UK SHORE programme, which is assessing the processes and impact of all UK SHORE schemes, including environmental impacts and job creation.
In March 2025, the Department for Transport published a report setting out the early outcomes of the evaluation of the UK SHORE programme to date, including completed projects in the CMDC. The majority of the CMDC demonstration projects only concluded at the end of March 2025. Therefore, data about their impact will be captured through the ongoing evaluation, due to conclude later this year.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, who the sub-contractors were who were involved in (a) the supply of crew to operate the Pacific Grebe during the sea trials phase and (b) other aspects of the Winds of Change project funded by the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Winds of Change project was awarded funding through the third round of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC). The CMDC is funded by the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE) Research and Development programme in the Department for Transport and delivered and managed by Innovate UK, on behalf of the Department.
Applications for CMDC funding undergo an independent assessment process, managed by Innovate UK. Project partners of all successful bids are published online. Innovate UK and the Department for Transport are not responsible for the procurement of subcontractors, but the rules around the use of subcontractors are set out in the competition scope.