Question follow-through · 50833
Merchant Shipping: Employment
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many merchant seafarers were employed on vessels chartered by the UK Hydrographic Office in each year since 2015-16.
About this written question
A written question asks a government minister for information in writing. Parliament publishes the question and any answer.
- Answering body
- Ministry of Defence
- Tabled
- 8 May 2025
- Target answer date
- 13 May 2025
- Answer
- 13 May 2025 · 5 calendar days after tabling
Elapsed calendar days describe the record timeline, not whether Parliament considers an answer on time.
More questions by this MP on Defence and foreign affairs
- Qatar: Military Bases · 13 May 2025
- Royal Fleet Auxiliary · 2 Sept 2025
- Ministry of Defence: Serco · 2 Sept 2025
- Ministry of Defence: Serco · 2 Sept 2025
- National Shipbuilding Office and UK Hydrographic Office · 2 Sept 2025
Shared topic keywords suggest a connection; they do not establish a follow-up.
Votes on this topic
- Opposition Day Motion: Defence spending and readiness - Prime Minister's Amendment · 23 Jun 2026
- Opposition day: Defence spending and readiness · 23 Jun 2026
- Armed Forces Bill Report Stage: Amendment 11 · 22 Jun 2026
These Commons divisions share a topic label. The question did not necessarily lead to a vote.
Recorded timeline
8 May 2025
Question tabled
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many merchant seafarers were employed on vessels chartered by the UK Hydrographic Office in each year since 2015-16.
13 May 2025
Target answer date
Date supplied by the official written-questions record.
13 May 2025
Answer published
YearMerchant seafarers employed on vessels chartered by the UK Hydrographic Office2015-161 for 66 days2016-1702017-181 for 20 days2018-1902019-2002021-2202022-232 for 28 days2023/2402024-250
Official data retrieved 28 Sept 2026.
Later records
Possible follow-up questions
Strong links require the same MP, department and exact heading. Other same-department questions are shown as unreviewed candidates, not as confirmed follow-ups. No debate link is asserted unless a stable source relationship exists.
Qatar: Military Bases
13 May 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the total operating cost was of the British overseas military base in Qatar in the 2024-25 financial year.
Royal Fleet Auxiliary
2 Sept 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the transfer of Stirling Castle from the Royal Fleet Auxillary to the Royal Navy on the operational capacity of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.
Ministry of Defence: Serco
2 Sept 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) cost and (b) duration are for the contract between his Department and Serco Marine Services for the support vessels (i) SD Victoria and (ii) SD Northern River.
Ministry of Defence: Serco
2 Sept 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list all live maritime service contracts his Department has with subsidiaries of Serco Limited.
National Shipbuilding Office and UK Hydrographic Office
2 Sept 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Strategic Defence Review on the (a) budget and (b) headcount of the (i) UK Hydrographic Office and (ii) National Shipbuilding Office.
Royal Fleet Auxiliary: Warships
13 Oct 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the operational (a) status and (b) readiness is of each Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship.
Royal Fleet Auxiliary: Inspections
5 Feb 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many inspections of Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels have been carried out by officials from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency since the updated Memorandum of Understanding was published in November 2024.
Royal Fleet Auxiliary: Inspections
5 Feb 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) inspection dates and (b) deficiencies recorded were by officials from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency following inspection of Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels in each year since 2014.
Royal Fleet Auxiliary: Maritime Labour Convention
5 Feb 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department applies the provisions of the Maritime Labour Convention to the (a) merchant navy seafarers and (b) vessels in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.
Merchant Shipping: Crew
5 Feb 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an estimate of the number of civilian seafarers in scope of the (a) Defence Maritime Regulator and (b) the Memorandum of Understanding between the MoD and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
Royal Fleet Auxiliary: Staff
24 Feb 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the number of (a) women and (b) men employed by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary by seafarer grade.
Royal Fleet Auxiliary: Staff
24 Feb 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many vacancies currently exist in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary by seafarer grade.