§ 82. Mr. Awberyasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what steps are being taken to supervise the conditions of vessels in the coastal trade from Hong Kong and Singapore apart from the statutory surveys; how many prosecutions have taken place during the past three years for failure to conform to the regulations on these vessels; and how many lives have been lost as a result of vessels turning turtle as a result of being top heavy.
§ Mr. ProfumoApart from the statutory surveys on British ships and requirements as to production of statutory certificates, immediate steps are taken locally to investigate complaints by masters or other responsible persons. Surveys for overloading and compliance with the Merchant Shipping (Grain) Rules, 1952, are also carried out on vessels entering or leaving Hong Kong. During the past three years there have been three prosecutions in Hong Kong for overloading. So far as I know there has been no loss of life in British ships from this cause.
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