Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the recent actions by P&O Ferries, whether they intend to review (1) the Seafarers Directive, and (2) the 2018 amendment to the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992; and whether it remains their view that the amendment made enables owners of foreign flagged vessels to notify redundancies to competent authorities in the state where the vessel is registered, instead of to the Secretary of State.

The Government wrote to the Insolvency Service on 23 March asking it to undertake an urgent and thorough enquiry into the recent actions of P&O Ferries, to determine whether the law has been complied with and consider prompt and appropriate action where it has not.

The Insolvency Service confirmed on 01 April that following its enquiries it has initiated both formal and civil investigations into the circumstances surrounding the redundancies made by P&O Ferries.

You will appreciate that while these investigations are being progressed it would not be appropriate to make further comment but the Insolvency Service will provide an update in due course.