Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department has taken to implement its Nine Point Plan on P&O Ferries announced on 30 March 2022.

Since announcing the Nine Point Plan the Government has:

• Brought in the Seafarers’ Wages Bill which will ensure that seafarers employed aboard ships regularly operating from UK ports will be paid at least an equivalent to the National Minimum Wage in UK waters
• Worked with industry and unions to develop the Seafarers’ Charter, which will encourage and recognise ferry operators taking extra steps to provide good working conditions
• Published a consultation on a statutory code of practice on ‘fire-and-rehire’ to deter the practice
• Supported amendments to the Maritime Labour Convention to improve access to food and drinking water and appropriately-sized PPE, and led development of guidance to support seafarers who face abandonment
• Commissioned research into seafarer fatigue to give us more robust evidence about the impact of roster patterns
• Commissioned research into internet connectivity for seafarers, as know connectivity and staying in touch with friends and family is so important.

Seafarer welfare is inextricably linked to international maritime law and regulation. As such it must be addressed with international partners and through international fora. The UK will continue to lead the way in seafarer welfare and will not shy away from its role as an international leader in championing this important cause.