§ 10. Mr. Boyesasked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will introduce legislation to ensure that all divers are adequately insured by the company for whom they work.
§ Mr. David MitchellDivers working from United Kingdom ships within United Kingdom waters are already covered. I am consulting about the need to extend cover elsewhere.
§ Mr. BoyesI assure the Minister that my question is based on a real case in which the diver died and his widow received a letter saying that the company had no collective insurance for either accident or death. Can he give an absolute assurance that if measures are introduced they will include foreign divers, as many British divers are resentful of the increased percentage of foreigners working in British waters because of the additional costs to companies of employing British divers? If foreign divers are not included, it would make a British diver even more costly to employ.
§ Mr. MitchellI shall cover the hon. Gentleman's general point in the consultations to which I have referred. On his specific case, if he will write to me I shall look into it further. There is, of course, a liability on an employer within United Kingdom waters to insure against employer's liability, but in a highly paid profession it rests on the man to insure himself against an accident as opposed to relying on employer liability.