Select committee: Transport Committee
Recommendation 31
Fifth Report - Maritime 2050
Published 20 Mar 2023
Paragraph 166
Addressed to Department for Transport
Transport Committee Maritime 2050: objectives, implementation and effects All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
Welfare standards are inextricably linked to contractual terms and conditions, however. It is not sufficient for the Government to rely on the glacial progress made in amending the Maritime Labour Convention. The MLC is a set of minimum international standards designed for the deep sea sector—not, for example, for short sea ferries. The Government must take the lead by showing its ambition to significantly exceed these minimum standards.
From: Transport Committee, Fifth Report - Maritime 2050 (HC 160), paragraph 166, 20 March 2023
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 20 June 2023 (deadline 20 May 2023).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government agrees with some of the Committee's recommendations, partially agrees with others, notes several, and disagrees with the one on the role of ports.
- On decarbonisation, the government agrees and says it "will publish the updated Clean Maritime Plan by the end of 2023", including indicative targets for the domestic maritime sector.
- On UK SHORE, it agrees but is "unable to commit to public long-term funding"; further investment beyond March 2025 "is dependent on future budget decisions".
- On maritime autonomy legislation, it partially agrees: reforms are necessary but "we cannot legislate for them during the current parliamentary session due to competing priorities". It says its response to the Future of Transport review will be published "in the coming weeks".
- It disagrees with the recommendation on the role of ports, stating that it "fully understand[s] the role of ports" and "continues to champion their cause across Government". On the seafarers' welfare charter, it "notes" the recommendation and says the charter will "initially launch on a voluntary basis".