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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions she (a) has had and (b) plans to have with (i) frontline fire fighters and (ii) the Fire Brigades Union on improving response times to incidents.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Firefighters play a vital role in keeping the public safe and we are grateful for the work undertaken by fire and rescue services across the country in support of their local communities.

The 2025/26 Local Government Finance Settlement, published on 3 February by the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government (MHCLG), sets out funding allocations for all local authorities, including Fire and Rescue Authorities. Standalone Fire and Rescue Authorities will see an increase in core spending power of £65.5m in 2025/26. Including the National Insurance Contribution Grant, this is an increase of 3.6 per cent in cash terms compared to 2024/25.

Decisions on how resources, including staff, are best deployed to meet their core functions, including meeting response times, is a matter for each Fire and Rescue Authority, based on risks identified within local Community Risk Management Plans. This includes ensuring that their Fire and Rescue Service has sufficiently trained, qualified and competent persons to meet their legislated functional requirements.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to increase the recruitment of firefighters in line with demand.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Firefighters play a vital role in keeping the public safe and we are grateful for the work undertaken by fire and rescue services across the country in support of their local communities.

The 2025/26 Local Government Finance Settlement, published on 3 February by the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government (MHCLG), sets out funding allocations for all local authorities, including Fire and Rescue Authorities. Standalone Fire and Rescue Authorities will see an increase in core spending power of £65.5m in 2025/26. Including the National Insurance Contribution Grant, this is an increase of 3.6 per cent in cash terms compared to 2024/25.

Decisions on how resources, including staff, are best deployed to meet their core functions, including meeting response times, is a matter for each Fire and Rescue Authority, based on risks identified within local Community Risk Management Plans. This includes ensuring that their Fire and Rescue Service has sufficiently trained, qualified and competent persons to meet their legislated functional requirements.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure fire and rescue services have adequate (a) personnel and (b) life saving equipment to safely respond to (i) flooding and (ii) wildfires.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The 2025/26 Local Government Finance Settlement, published on 3 February by the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government (MHCLG), sets out funding allocations for all local authorities, including Fire and Rescue Authorities. Standalone Fire and Rescue Authorities will see an increase in core spending power of £65.5m in 2025/26. Including the National Insurance Contribution Grant, this is an increase of 3.6 per cent in cash terms compared to 2024/25. Decisions on how their resources are best deployed to meet their core functions are a matter for each Fire and Rescue Authority.

MHCLG also supports fire and rescue authorities in responding to flood incidents by providing national resilience High Volume Pump (HVP) capability comprising 45 HVPs.

Additionally, since 2024 the government has funded a national resilience wildfire advisor to consider whether additional national wildfire capabilities might be needed within the Fire and Rescue Services and to increase the coordination approaches across the sector.

The Government will continue to work closely with stakeholders across the sector to ensure Fire and Rescue Services have the resources they need to protect communities.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions she has had with the Fire Brigade Union on funding for the fire and rescue service.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I met with the FBU General Secretary in February 2025, in preparation of fire functions being transferred from the Home Office to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 1 April 2025. We briefly discussed future investment in the fire and rescue service and are due to meet again shortly for further discussion. I am also due to speak at the forthcoming FBU conference. I recently met with the FBU General Secretary on 15th May.

Standalone fire and rescue authorities will see an increase in core spending power of £65.5 million in 2025/26. Including the National Insurance Contribution Grant, this is an increase of 3.6 per cent in cash terms compared to 2024/25.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she is taking steps to return central funding to the fire and rescue service to pre-2010 levels.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I met with the FBU General Secretary in February 2025, in preparation of fire functions being transferred from the Home Office to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 1 April 2025. We briefly discussed future investment in the fire and rescue service and are due to meet again shortly for further discussion. I am also due to speak at the forthcoming FBU conference. I recently met with the FBU General Secretary on 15th May.

Standalone fire and rescue authorities will see an increase in core spending power of £65.5 million in 2025/26. Including the National Insurance Contribution Grant, this is an increase of 3.6 per cent in cash terms compared to 2024/25.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the operation of the Skilled Worker route for marine and waterways transport operatives.

Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Skilled Worker visa for Marine and waterways transport operatives has not been discussed between DfT and Home Office Ministers. Officials continue to liaise with their Home Office counterparts and update Ministers where appropriate.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Memorandum of Understanding with the Shipping Deputy Ministry of the Republic of Cyprus in promoting higher standards of seafarer (a) employment and (b) welfare in the short sea ferry industry.

Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Memorandum of Understanding covers maritime safety, security and environment and is a basis for dialogue of mutual interest to both states, and to exchange information and best practice. It also promotes cooperation on dialogue in the international fora on areas of common interest.

For seafarers, we have seen this most recently in April in our co-operation with Canada, EU member states including Cyprus, and others on important amendments to the Maritime Labour Convention that the UK helped to drive through.

As the flag state for several vessels on the short sea ferry sector, Cyprus complies with all international and EU requirements in terms of employment and welfare of seafarers. Domestic regulations put in place by the coastal state may go over and beyond international requirements. These are compliant with international law and recognise the authority of the flag state.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help mitigate the potential impact of open shipping registers on (a) employment and (b) welfare standards for seafarers working in the shipping industry.

Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Improving the pay and working conditions of seafarers is a priority for this government. We are committed to working with the sector and our international partners to improve standards.

All vessels visiting the UK must comply with international minimum standards on employment and welfare. We work with like-minded states and our social partners to continue to improve those international standards.

The UK has signed Memoranda of Understanding with Spain, Greece and Cyprus agreeing to coordinate on matters relating to the conditions of seafarers.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, who represented her Department at the second annual review of the Cyprus-UK bilateral Memorandum of Understanding in December 2024.

Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The annual review of the Cyprus-UK bilateral Memorandum of Understanding is led by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Director General for Europe. The Department was not represented during the second annual review which took place in December 2024. However, the Department worked with the FCDO to review the UK-Cyprus Joint Statement and provided written contributions on transport related issues covered in the strategic dialogue as part of the second annual review.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many skilled worker visas have been issued for marine and waterways transport operatives under the points based system.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The Home Office publishes data on sponsored work visas by visa type and occupation in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on grants of visas are published in table ‘Occ_D02’ of the sponsored work visas by occupation and industry dataset. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. Data is from January 2021 up to the end of December 2024.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's White Paper entitled Restoring control over the immigration system, published on 12 May 2025, whether the proposed extension of the qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain will apply retrospectively to people already in the UK with the appropriate visa.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

We will reform our settlement and citizenship rules by expanding the Points-Based System and increasing the standard qualifying period for settlement to ten years. Individuals will have the opportunity to reduce the qualifying period to settlement and citizenship based on contributions to the UK economy and society.

We will be consulting on the earned settlement scheme later this year and will provide further details at that stage.

UK Government recognition of the state of Palestine

Acquisition of food manufacturer Bakkavor by Greencore

Accountability in the water industry and proposals for the reform of Ofwat

Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month 2025

Israel’s interception of the British-flagged Madleen boat

Future of rail frieght

PA Media Ltd parliamentary newswire coverage

Madleen Freedom Flotilla Ship

National Carers Week 2025 and the Women in the North report

Climate Finance Fund (Fossil Fuels and Pollution) Bill

Impact of No Recourse to Public Funds on child poverty

Humanitarian aid into Gaza

Real Living Wage Campaign

Gary Lineker's contribution to Match of the Day

Arms exports to Israel

Foster Care Fortnight

Reductions to CrossCountry trains catering services

Import of goods from Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory

Negotiating rights for police officers

Injury on Duty Award Scheme

Support for the trans community

Trans+ History Week

Future of the UK baking industry

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