Ask us about the consultation about the Intended Pleasure Vessels Code and RYA SafeTrx, the Coastguard’s new official voluntary reporting scheme

IPV Code and Pleasure Vessel Exemptions

We’d like you to ‘have your say’ on the Maritime & Coastguard Agency’s new Code of Practice for Intended Pleasure Vessels (IPV Code) and its supporting Guidance Notices as well as some new Exemptions. The public consultation runs until 26 September 2018 and our IPV team will be on our stand throughout the show to advise and take your feedback. Part 2 of the IPV Code, which is part of the consultation, is applicable to race support boats used outside of the Pleasure Vessel definition at sea on a temporary basis where they are supporting any type of racing. We’d like to highlight that the racing activity may be of any type, not just powerboat and yacht racing. This could be triathlons, kayak racing, jetski racing, etc.

The IPV Code and its supporting Guidance Notices – which will be introduced on 1 January 2019 – addresses temporary commercial use either for business purposes or as a race support boat. We’d like the boating community to read through the proposals on how we plan to make the water a safer place for everyone while giving the opportunity to legitimately operate commercially on a temporary basis for certain activities.

We’re also replacing Marine Guidance Notice 538 on Pleasure Vessels which introduces Exemptions that mark a significant positive step for the Pleasure Vessel manufacturing sector in the UK, and phases out the use of ORC liferafts.

Come and chat to us on our stand or come to the Q&A hosted by British Marine in the British Marine Members Lounge from 5.30 -7.00 on Friday 14th. See here for registration information

RYA SafeTrx The Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) and the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) have joined forces to provide RYA SafeTrx as HM Coastguard’s new official voluntary safety identification scheme. The world-leading RYA SafeTrx app is designed to improve safety at sea and potentially cut vital minutes off the time taken to pinpoint a casualty’s location. It monitors your boat journeys and alerts designated emergency contacts should you fail to arrive on time. Using iPhone and Android smartphone technology, this free tracking and alerting system is easily accessible and ideal for everyone who enjoys being on the water – from kitesurfers and kayakers to dinghy sailors and powerboat users. Come and discuss it with us at the Boat Show.

Passengers on Northern will be eligible for enhanced compensation for train delays from this December (2018), rail minister Jo Johnson announced today (13 September 2018).

Attending the Transport for the North board in Sheffield, Mr Johnson unveiled plans by the operator to extend the existing ‘Delay Repay’ compensation scheme to include delays of 15 minutes – known as DR15 — and longer.

Currently, passengers can claim compensation if their train is at least 30 minutes late. But from the end of this year, the extended scheme will allow claims for delays of half that, meaning passengers delayed by between 15 and 29 minutes will be able to claim back compensation worth 25% of the single fare.

Department for Transport and Transport for the North, together under the rail north partnership, are working with Northern to finalise commercial terms before implementation.

Mr Johnson said:

Passengers deserve a reliable train service, and when things do go wrong it is vital that they are compensated fairly.

Extending ‘Delay Repay’ to cover 15 minute delays is a major boost for Northern passengers and we are committed to working with train companies across the network to make it as easy as possible for passengers to claim their rightful compensation.

We are investing in the biggest rail modernisation programme since Victorian times to deliver the improvements that passengers want – more space, and faster, more frequent services. Improving compensation for delays is a key part of this.

Mark Powles, Commercial Director, Northern said:

We welcome the introduction of ‘Delay Repay 15’ later this year. We are putting in place the right measures to make it as easy as possible for our customers to claim compensation for delays to their services.

David Hoggarth, Strategic Rail Director for Transport for the North, said:

This will be a welcome step forward for passengers who are inconvenienced by delays and is in addition to the previously announced special industry compensation package for those most disrupted by the May timetable changes. Our focus remains on ensuring the train operators and Network Rail continue to improve performance for passengers.

‘Delay Repay’ already exists on most train franchises, including Northern, for delays of 30 minutes, 60 minutes and 2 hours or more.

DR15 was first introduced on GTR in 2016 and is being rolled out across all other DfT franchises as contracts come up for renewal.

DfT is working with other train operators to implement DR15 at the earliest opportunity. The extension to DR15 comes on top of the compensation package announced for Northern and TransPennine Express passengers who experienced unacceptable disruption following the timetable changes earlier in the summer.

The FSA has launched a campaign, easytoask, designed to empower young people to ask food businesses about allergens when eating out, so that they can make safe choices. The campaign follows several allergy-related deaths among young people – data shows that children and young adults are disproportionately more prone to die from an allergic reaction than adults.

The Government Chemist works to support allergen management through measurement, as in the cumin and paprika cases and through knowledge transfer by publishing papers and organising dissemination events.

Michael Walker, Referee Analyst, will be giving a talk at the Anaphylaxis Campaign Corporate Conference in September on “Regulation of food allergens – before, during and after the UK’s exit from the European Union”. To know more about this event visit the Anaphylaxis Campaign website.

For more information about the work the Government Chemist does contact:

Published 13 September 2018