§ 2. Mr. Knox Cunninghamasked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation, in view of the fact that skippers and mates of trawlers can at present be punished twice for the same offence by being prohibited from earning their livelihood as skipper or mate by a private inquiry held by the British Trawlers Re-Insurance Association and by having their respective certificates cancelled or suspended by a court of formal investigation set up under the Merchant Shipping Act, 1894, if he will introduce legislation preventing insurance or reinsurance associations from using their private inquiries for this purpose.
§ The Joint Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation (Mr. Airey Neave)No, Sir. The inquiries by insurance associations into casualties to fishing vessels have for many years contributed to high standards of navigation. The British Trawlers Re-Insurance Association have, however, agreed that, when an inquiry is held into a trawler casualty by a court of formal investigation under the Merchant Shipping Acts, the Association will adopt for insurance purposes the same term of suspension of an officer's certificate as that imposed by the court.
§ Mr. Knox CunninghamWill my hon. Friend not agree that to bring a member of the public before a private court held by any professional body or association and to deprive him of a chance of earning his livelihood is undesirable? Will my hon. Friend make that clear, and will he also make clear that the inquiries which are held by these insurance interests should not take place before the public inquiries are held by his Department?
§ Mr. NeaveIn answer to the latter part of my hon. Friend's supplementary, I 409 think there is considerable safeguard in the agreement of the British Trawlers Re-Insurance Association that any prohibition which it may impose will not be at variance with the suspension that a court may impose in certain serious cases. I have investigated very carefully my hon. Friend's point about this. Refusal to insure does not mean, of course, a total ban on employment except in ships insured by the Association.
§ Major WallIs it not a fact that insurance companies must have some safeguards when they place insurance of ships, and, therefore, should be able to investigate the competence of the master or any member of the crew?