Member

Amendments 204A, 204B, 323A, 330A and 330B all seek to introduce annual reporting requirements relating to seafarers’ employment rights, with the first reports being laid within three months of the passing of the Bill. Many of the powers in the Bill, including the new powers in the Seafarers’ Wages Act 2023, require secondary legislation to provide the detailed requirements. This means that, in the first three months of the Bill receiving Royal Assent, there will be very little to report on, as we will be in the process of consulting on those regulations. Our view is that such reporting requirements are unnecessary given that the measures in the Bill and the secondary legislation made under its powers will undergo the usual post-legislative scrutiny as a matter of course. This will give Parliament sufficient opportunity to review the impacts that these changes have had within a timeframe that will allow them to be properly measured. Should any operators break the rules, they will be subject to enforcement action, the extent of which will provide useful information on how well the legislation is working without the need for additional reporting.