Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Transport and (b) Department for Transport agencies on the Royal Fleet Auxiliary’s adherence to applicable Merchant Shipping Regulations.

Under the provisions of the Merchant Shipping (Ministry of Defence Ships) order 1989 [Order in Council No 1991], the Royal Fleet Auxillary (RFA) was exempted from many aspects of the UK Merchant Shipping Acts in respect of registered vessels of the RFA. Although the RFA is exempt from a number of provisions within the Merchant Shipping Acts, it remains the Department’s policy to comply voluntarily. With the non‑mandatory elements, wherever practicable, the RFA will comply except where this would conflict with operational requirements.