Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential economic development achievable by investing in maritime decarbonisation in the UK’s coastal communities; and what steps the Government will take to ensure that development is achieved equitably between all nations of the UK.

The Department has made no assessment of the level of economic development achievable by investing in maritime decarbonisation in the UK’s coastal communities. However, in 2019, alongside the Clean Maritime Plan, the Department published an assessment which identified that low and zero emissions shipping could result in potential economic benefits to the UK of around £360-£510 million per year by the middle of the century.

Maritime UK has published its views that investment in maritime decarbonisation could in future create jobs in all four nations of the United Kingdom, particularly in coastal communities with a tradition of maritime economic activity, including shipbuilding.

Industry research estimates that in 2017 the UK maritime sector as a whole directly supported more than 220,000 jobs for UK employees.