Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of a sandbox for marine autonomy on innovation and growth among Small and Medium-sized Enterprises.

As announced in the King’s Speech, the Regulating for Growth Bill will create cross-economy “sandboxing powers”. The Department for Transport will explore the use of these powers to establish a regulatory sandbox for maritime autonomy.

The sandbox is not a physical location. The intention of the sandbox is to enable controlled, live‑market trials where existing laws can be modified or suspended to allow experimentation, while generating robust evidence on safety, security and environmental protection.

The Regulating for Growth Bill is planned for the second session, and Government will work in collaboration with industry, including Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, to ensure the sandbox delivers real change that responds to the sector’s needs.