Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy published on 25 March 2025, what steps she is taking to ensure that the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (SHORE) takes account of employment practices at companies which submit bids to SHORE for public funding.

The Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy encourages building on the UK’s extensive maritime knowledge, expertise and capacity for innovation. Through the UK Shipping Emissions for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE) programme, we have invested £236m across the UK to support research and development into clean maritime technologies.

As the primary delivery partner for UK SHORE, Innovate UK manages the competition, assessment process, due diligence, and ongoing monitoring and management of UK SHORE funded projects. Innovate UK undertakes rigorous checks on each organisation receiving funding before grants are awarded. There are clauses within the grant awards that allow funding to be immediately suspended or terminated if we have concerns about an organisation breaking the law, including through their employment practices.