Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking in 2025-26 to reduce the fee deficit of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

The MCA undertakes services, such as vessel surveys, seafarer certification and the registration of seamen and shipping for which it charges fees. These activities are pivotal to maritime safety, helping to prevent loss of life and pollution incidents at sea. For the year (2024/25), the Agency incurred costs of £14.1m and received income of £11.0m based on the charges for these services as set in the Merchant Shipping (Fees) Regulations 2018, resulting in a deficit of £3.1m.

A public consultation on the replacement for the Merchant Shipping (Fees) Regulations 2018 will be held in 2026. Following the public consultation, the Agency will aim to implement these regulations in a timely manner to ensure it can recover costs incurred in delivering its statutory services.