Mr Gordon Marsden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr Gordon Marsden on 2014-03-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he has taken to enforce the Equality Act 2010 (Work on Ships and Hovercraft) Regulations 2011 in the shipping industry; and which regulatory body is responsible for such enforcement on (a) UK and (b) overseas-flagged vessels in UK ports.

Stephen Hammond

A contravention of the Equality Act 2010 (Work on Ships and Hovercraft) Regulations can be notified either to the port State authorities or directly to the appropriate enforcement team. For example, a breach of National Minimum Wage regulations could be reported directly to the HMRC Enforcement Team or gender discrimination could be reported to the Equal Opportunities Commission

Enforcement action for a contravention occurring where the Regulations are applicable on UK flagged vessels would be undertaken by the relevant enforcement team (as per above) for that infringement.

Enforcement action for a contravention on board a foreign flagged vessel, which whilst more complex in its application, would similarly be undertaken where the Regulations are applicable to either that vessel or an individual concerned.