§ Mr. CarmichaelTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to protect the shipping industry from terrorist attack. [140667]
§ Mr. JamiesonMaritime issues continue to be high on the Government's security agenda. Mandatory maritime security requirements were first introduced under the Aviation and Maritime Security Act 1990, and the industry has been subject to security regulation since then. Inspectors carry out monitoring and compliance inspections, both in the UK and overseas, to ensure that security measures are properly implemented.
Following the events of 11 September 2001 all transport security programmes were reviewed and enhanced and they are kept under continuous review in light of the prevailing threat. While we can never be complacent, we believe that the core policies, baseline measures and the current levels of security required are appropriate to the current situation. For obvious reasons, it is not our practice to detail the required security measures.
The national regime will be augmented next year with the implementation of the International Maritime Organisation's (IMO) global maritime security regime. The security assessments and security plans that are required by the IMO's International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS Code) are designed to identify and address existing vulnerabilities.
The UK's existing maritime security regime, the ISPS Code requirements and a forthcoming EU Regulation are being drawn together to form the basis of a new National Maritime Security Programme. This programme will include both mandatory security measures and industry best practice guidelines and will provide a consistent, holistic approach to further enhance the security of the maritime sector.
§ Mr. CarmichaelTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his Answer of 1 December 2003,Official Report, column 7W, on shipping, which flags are flown by the ships that use the tonnage tax scheme but do not fly the red ensign; and what requirements these ships are required to meet to qualify for this tax scheme. [142405]
§ Mr. JamiesonThe following flags, other than Red Ensign, have ships in tonnage tax
163WBarbados, Bahamas, Germany, Antigus & Barbuda, Liberia, Panama, Hong Kong, Norway, Ireland, Netherlands Antilles, Singapore, Japan, Denmark, St. Vincent, Marshall Islands, Netherlands and Luxembourg.To qualify for the tonnage tax scheme ships must be seagoing, at least 100 gross tons, and used for:
Carriage of passengers, orCarriage of cargo, orTowage, salvage or other marine assistance, orTransport in connection with other service of a kind necessarily provided at sea.They must also be operated by companies within corporation tax that are "strategically and commercially" managed in the UK.