§ Mr. R. MORRISON(by Private Notice) asked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to the evidence given at the Coroners' Inquest upon the Rye lifeboat-men that the lifebelts were water-logged and would drown the men instead of supporting them; and in view of the fact that lifebelts of a similar kind are in use on other parts of the coast and the anxiety of those who may be called upon to use them he can make a statement upon the matter?
§ Mr. CHRISTIE(by Private Notice) asked the President of the Board of Trade whether it is proposed to hold a formal inquiry into the Rye lifeboat disaster?
§ Mr. H. WILLIAMSThe Board of Trade have ordered an inquiry into the circumstances attending the casualty to the Rye lifeboat, and that inquiry will cover the allegations made with regard to the lifebelts.. I am informed by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution that the lifebelts used by the Rye crew 1550 were of the pattern known as No. 3A, and that lifebelts of this pattern were retained at the request of the crews at 14 out of the 205 stations under the management of the institution. The institution inform me that they are causing all the lifebelts of this pattern at these stations to be tested at once, and they are making it known that any crew which feels the slightest misgiving can have these lifebelts replaced by lifebelts of the other pattern.
§ Mr. SHINWELLAre the lifeboats inspected by the hon. Gentleman's Department, and, if so, how frequently?
§ Mr. WILLIAMSI would like to have notice of that question.
§ Miss WILKINSONIn view of this appalling disaster, does not the hon. Gentleman think that the time has now arrived to take the whole of this important service from private charity, and to have a thoroughly competent State service?
§ Mr. WILLIAMSThis disaster has nothing to do with the form of ownership of the lifeboat, but it has relation more particularly to the depth of the sea at that particular place.
§ Captain FANSHAWEIs the hon. Gentleman aware that the district inspector of lifeboats inspected this lifeboat and all her gear in February of this year, and that everything was found correct?
§ Mr. MACKINDERDoes the hon. Gentleman really think that, if it had been a national service, they would have had a non-self-righting boat?
§ Rear-Admiral BEAMISHIs it not a fact that several Royal Commissions have given the opinion quite clearly that the Royal National Lifeboat Institution is far more efficiently run under private enterprise and under voluntary circumstances than it would be under State control?
§ Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYIs the hon. Gentleman not aware that a non-self-righting boat was chosen by the Rye crew themselves, and that in certain seas a boat need not be capsized but the crew can be drowned, even if it is non-capsizable? Will not the hon. Gentleman answer that question?