Consultation outcome

MCA fees consultation

This consultation has concluded

Detail of outcome

The MCA has reviewed the comments received from across the maritime industry from its Autumn 2016 consultation. In response to feedback received from industry, it has been decided to phase in the survey fee increase over two years from £94 to £147 and the UK seafarer medical examination fee (ENG1) from £80 to £115 over three years. All other fees will increase immediately on 13 November 2018.

For more information, please see the MCA’s press release on the increases.

Feedback received

Fees consultation responses

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Letter from MCA Chief Executive to the Shipping Minister

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Letter from the Shipping Minister to the MCA Chief Executive

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Summary of MCA fees

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Detail of feedback received

MCA contacted over 1000 maritime stakeholders including professional organisations, customers, other interested parties and other government departments. Many of the organisations represent vessel owners and shared the information we provided with their membership. 84 responses were received.

Of these, 49 responses expressed concern about the ENG1 fee and a separate stakeholder engagement exercise was conducted in February 2017. This exercise resulted in the proposal of a phased increase of the ENG1 and there was general agreement about the revised proposal to increase the ENG1 fee from £80 to £115 over a three-year period. The remaining 35 responses were in broad agreement about the Agency’s need to achieve full cost recovery but preferred a phased approach to increasing the fees to their new level. You can find further information in our summary list of MCA fees.

Feedback from the consultation indicated that a planned approach to fees increases is important to industry. In this section you can also view letters between the MCA Chief Executive and the Shipping Minister providing important assurances about the regularity and transparency of future increases.


Original consultation

Summary

The Maritime & Coastguard Agency is holding a consultation on its proposal to raise ship survey fees, ship registration fees and merchant navy training costs.

This consultation ran from
to

Consultation description

This consultation seeks to gather the views of people and organisations from the maritime sector on our proposal to raise our range of fees.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) is required to comply with the guidance set out in HM Treasury’s publication Managing Public Money. The full cost recovery norm for fees ensures Government neither profits at the expense of consumers nor makes a loss for taxpayers to subsidise. Since September 2006, the MCA has not changed its fee level and has consequently absorbed increases in ship registrations, ship surveys and merchant navy training costs. The recently published Maritime Growth Study identified full cost recovery as critical to improving the service provided by the MCA.

Consultation documents:

  • MCA survey fees consultation 2016 – the main consultation document
  • Annex A – Excel spreadsheet giving current and proposed fees
  • Merchant Shipping Regulations 2006 – the current relevant regulations
  • Merchant Shipping Regulations (proposed) 2017 – proposed new regulations incorporating the new fees
  • MCA impact assessment reviewing the possible effects of raising fees
  • Oxford Economics Report – an independent impact assessment
  • Cross reference table – This is a guide to where fees can be found in Annex A, MCA impact assessment, 2006 Regulations and proposed 2017 Regulations for comparison purposes.

Documents

Fees consultation document

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Survey fees consultation annex A

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Merchant shipping regulations 2006

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Merchant shipping 2017 (proposed regulations)

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Fees consultation impact assessment

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Oxford economic independent impact assessment

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Merchant shipping fees cross reference table

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Updates to this page

Published 14 September 2016
Last updated 12 December 2018 + show all updates
  1. Updated consultation responses document due to typo.

  2. Consultation responses and final outcome added

  3. First published.

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