Question reference: S6W-14913
- Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 7 February 2023
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Current status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 21 February 2023
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding applicable safety standards to protect (a) offshore workers and (b) seafarers from Scotland working on internationally flagged vessels in waters over 12 nautical miles from the Scottish coastline.
Answer
The Scottish Government expects the highest safety and crew welfare and employment conditions for all workers employed in offshore and maritime industries.
Safety standards for offshore workers in the UK Continental Shelf are regulated in Great Britain by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and is a reserved matter for the UK Government. All relevant legislation was enacted prior to devolution.
Maritime safety is also a reserved competence of the UK Government undertaken by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. The Maritime Labour Convention came into force in the UK on 7 August 2014. It sets out the minimum working and living rights for seafarers with the onus on operators.