Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment his Department has made of the impact of leaving the EU on the availability of construction materials.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government regularly reviews matters related to construction skills. The Government is working closely with the industry to ensure that it can attract, retain and develop the skilled workforce it needs for the future.
Overall, the availability of construction materials is improving. Whilst manufacturers are mostly keeping up with demand, demand for some materials continues to outstrip supply due to high levels of global construction activity, lack of stock and Coronavirus-related disruption to production facilities, shipping and logistics. The Government continues to work with the Construction Leadership Council’s Product Availability Group to monitor and manage the situation.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of helping construction firms with training costs related to the use of sustainable alternative construction materials in the event that firms have to alter materials they plan to use for construction activities as a result of material shortages.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government regularly reviews matters related to construction skills. The Government is working closely with the industry to ensure that it can attract, retain and develop the skilled workforce it needs for the future.
Overall, the availability of construction materials is improving. Whilst manufacturers are mostly keeping up with demand, demand for some materials continues to outstrip supply due to high levels of global construction activity, lack of stock and Coronavirus-related disruption to production facilities, shipping and logistics. The Government continues to work with the Construction Leadership Council’s Product Availability Group to monitor and manage the situation.
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2022 to Question 93748 on Immigration Controls: Shipping, what the status is of deckhands in the (a) fishing and (b) merchant navy with respect to the Shortage Occupation List.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), recommended that this occupation, and others, be added to the list of eligible occupations for Skilled Worker visas and to the Shortage Occupation List (SOL) following their review in 2020. However, the Government was of the view that wide scale changes to the SOL relating to medium skilled occupations - which only recently became eligible for Skilled Worker visas at that time – should not be made until the Government could assess how the UK labour market developed in response to the Coronavirus pandemic.
The Government therefore accepted only the first part of the MAC’s recommendation - to recognise deckhands on large (9m+) fishing vessels as meeting the skills threshold for the Skilled Worker route, where they have 3 years’ relevant experience. Although this job was not included on the SOL, it become eligible for Skilled Worker visas where a sponsoring employer is offering a salary of at least £25,600, in line with other non-shortage occupations.
The Government continues to monitor how the UK labour market is developing and also agreed to the MAC’s recommendation for a more regular pattern of reviews for the SOL, with one expected to take place later this year.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Neptune Declaration on Seafarer Wellbeing and Crew Change; and what steps they will take to (1) recognise seafarers as key workers, (2) ensure they have access to COVID-19 vaccinations in UK ports, and (3) allow crews to have easy access to air flights.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
As one of the first states to declare seafarers as keyworkers we welcomed the Neptune Declaration and remain committed to working domestically and internationally to protect the health and wellbeing of crew of all nationalities. All seafarers, regardless of nationality, are and have always been eligible to receive COVID vaccines in the UK at no cost. As keyworkers, seafarers are exempt from many COVID related requirements when travelling to the UK during the course of their work.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Construction Leadership Council's statement on Construction Product Availability on 22 June 2021, what steps his Department is taking to (a) support allocation transparency within the building materials supply chain and (b) protect smaller building firms from unfair practices in materials supply.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
At present, demand for building materials is outstripping supply due to high levels of global construction activity. Manufacturers are working hard to maximise production, but they are struggling to keep pace with demand due to lack of stock and Coronavirus-related disruption to production facilities, shipping and logistics.
The Government recognises the impact that this situation is having on many smaller building firms and we are working closely with the Construction Leadership Council’s (CLC) Product Availability Group to monitor and manage it.
Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to Table SFR0303 of the Seafarers in the UK Shipping Industry statistics, published on 24 February 2021, what proportion of (a) UK, (b) EEA and (c) non-EEA seafarers in each seafarer type has received at least one shot of vaccine against covid-19; and if he will outline the procedures in place to monitor covid-19 vaccination rates in countries supplying labour to the UK shipping industry.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
A person’s occupation is not recorded when administering the Covid-19 vaccination. Seafarers in the UK are being vaccinated as part of the general population, with all adults aged 18 and over now eligible. Proof of Covid vaccination is not required to obtain a permit to work in the UK maritime sector.
Asked by: Ronnie Cowan (Scottish National Party - Inverclyde)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing covid-19 vaccinations to (a) UK cruise ship employees and (b) other UK seafarers working in UK waters.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The Department of Health and Social Care alongside the Department for Transport continues to assess how the Government can best support the vaccination of UK cruise ship employees and other UK seafarers working in UK waters. The UK Government encourages all eligible cruise ship employees and seafarers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in line with the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advice.
We are working closely with DfT, the Devolved Administrations and NHS England and Improvement to ensure that operational challenges in vaccinating these groups are mitigated so all those who are eligible can access the vaccine in an efficient and convenient way.
Asked by: Peter Dowd (Labour - Bootle)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to support maritime small and medium-sized enterprises recover from the outbreak of covid-19.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
Since the start of the pandemic, the Government’s priority has been to support businesses and employees. Our financial measures worth an initial £330 billion have been continually refined to support all parts of the economy, including maritime small and medium-sized enterprises. The Government has provided financial support to a range of small and medium-sized enterprises, including making available up to £22.4 million to safeguard lifeline services. As we move towards recovery, we remain committed to safeguarding livelihoods with the Chancellor extending the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme from April to September 2021.
My officials are also working with the sector on a longer-term Maritime Recovery Plan which will support the Maritime 2050 strategy launched by the Government in 2019. The Department is working closely with representatives from across the maritime sector to identify their priorities and develop interventions which can support the sector’s recovery.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the UN General Assembly's resolution on international cooperation to address challenges faced by seafarers as a result of the covid-19 pandemic to support global supply chains, what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts to advance the cause of seafarers being recognised as key workers in every country.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
As the first state to declare seafarers as keyworkers, the UK remains committed to protecting the mental health and wellbeing of crew of all nationalities. We continue to make strong representations at all appropriate international forums calling on all states to work together to facilitate the transit and transfer of seafarers, as well as their repatriation.
Asked by: Anthony Mangnall (Conservative - Totnes)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure couriers can resume regular shipments of (a) retail art and (b) antiques currently suspended due to customs complications in several EU states.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
We are working closely with businesses in the art and antiques sector to support them in trading with, and shipping goods to and from, EU member states.
We recognise that leaving the EU means a period of change for businesses, at a time when everyone has been responding to the unprecedented coronavirus pandemic, but this is an unparalleled opportunity for the UK to do things differently and better, and create the blueprint for our growing prosperity through the 21st century.
The deal we have negotiated secures preferential market access to the EU for UK businesses whilst securing the UK’s status as an independent and sovereign country. It ensures that there will be no tariffs or quotas for trade in goods with the EU.
We have taken steps to facilitate the export of cultural goods to EU countries. We developed a new inland pre-clearance process for export licences for works of art, and we are in the process of digitising the export licencing system for cultural goods. These steps reduce border friction and avoid delays and security risks.
We will continue to engage with businesses in sectors that are affected by our changing relationship with the EU to help them adjust and continue to successfully compete on the global stage.