§ John McDonnellTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport how the Department for Transport is monitoring changes in(a) training and (b) employment positions for seafaring ratings generated by the tonnage tax scheme. [172990]
§ Mr. JamiesonAs part of its annual application for approval of a core training commitment, each tonnage tax company or group is required to provide a breakdown of the number of deck and engine ratings employed on its ships according to whether they are British, other European Economic Area (EEA), or other, non-EEA, nationality. The company or group is also required to state which of the training and employment recommendations of the Ratings Task Force it expects to implement.
Where a company is meeting part of its training commitment in respect of officers by employing apprentices or ratings to officer conversion trainees, this is reported to us on end of period adjustment reports due three times a year.
§ John McDonnellTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures he has put in place to ensure that companies do not remove themselves from the 10-year obligation to the UK shipping industry tonnage tax regime by switching registers. [172991]
§ Mr. JamiesonNone. The act of a tonnage tax company in switching vessels from one register to another does not remove those vessels from the tonnage tax regime or change the obligations of the company under the tax.