§ 7. Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYasked the President of the Board of Trade what are the relations between his Department and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution; what responsibility he assumes for the upkeep of the lifeboat service and the suitability and efficiency 210 of the lifeboats and the equipment; and whether he has any fund from which grants can be made to the dependants of lifeboatmen who lose their lives at sea in the lifeboat service?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE - LISTERThe Board of Trade is, in the language of Section 713 of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1894, "the Department to undertake the general superintendence of all matters relating to merchant shipping and seamen," and the President of the Board of Trade has to deal with any questions that may be raised in Parliament as to the efficiency of the lifesaving service round the coasts. Subject to the provisions of the Merchant Shipping Acts, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution has, and always has had, the full responsibility for providing and maintaining the lifeboat service on the coasts of the British Isles, a duty which by common agreement has been discharged faithfully and well since the Institution was founded in 1824. The coast watching service and the rocket apparatus service are under the direct control of the Board of Trade, whose officers keep in close touch with the officers of the Institution. The answer to the last part of the question is 'in the negative, but l understand that the Institution has a pension scheme under which weekly payments are made to the dependants of all who lose their lives at sea in the lifeboat service.
§ Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYWithout belittling the right hon. Gentleman's eulogy of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, may I ask if he is aware that owing to the beach-master and the assistant beach-master, the receivers of wrecks, and the rocket apparatus being under the Board of Trade, there must be some occasional confusion; and will he consider appointing a suitable Committee to see how this confusion can be avoided in future?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERNo, Sir; I do not think that there is the least confusion between the coastguard service and the lifeboat service; they both have distinct services to perform, and the lifeboats are manned by the lifeboat crews under the Lifeboat Institution, while the rocket apparatus is under the Board, of Trade. They work very closely together, 211 and I do not think that there is any cause for any investigation in the matter.
§ Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYIs the right hon. Gentleman satisfied that his powers are sufficient, and that the position is altogether to his own satisfaction?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERYes, I think that my powers are quite sufficient, and I do not see any reason for seeking to take away from the Lifeboat Institution the great public service which they have discharged very well for the past century.