Sea Empress (Hansard, 13 January 1997)

§ 1. Mr. Ainger
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to publish the marine accident investigation branch report on the Sea Empress. [8785]

§ The Secretary of State for Transport (Sir George Young)
The chief inspector has advised me that he hopes to complete his report and submit it to me as soon as possible. He has to consider comments made to him by those he has consulted under the marine accident investigation regulations and amend his draft report if he considers it appropriate to do so in the light of those comments. The report will be published after it has been submitted to me.

§ Mr. Ainger
Can the Secretary of State confirm that the inquiry will cover Lord Donaldson's recommendations, which were made some 20 months before the Sea Empress ran aground, and that the recommendations about the placing of a powerful tug in the western approaches were not implemented either by him or by his predecessor, the present chairman of the 2 Conservative party? Can the Secretary of State also confirm that no Minister has been interviewed by the MAIB on those important issues? Does the right hon. Gentleman agree, bearing it in mind that we need a full and open investigation of those matters, that if Ministers are not held to account or questioned on those matters, the only conclusion can be that the part of the report covering ministerial responsibility will be a whitewash?

§ Sir George Young
On the first part of the hon. Gentleman's question, the inspector will of course cover everything that is relevant to the conduct of his inquiry into why the accident happened.
On the second point, it is the case that no Minister has been interviewed by the inspector.
On the third point, I hope that the hon. Gentleman will reconsider what he said. The inspector is carrying out an inquiry under procedures set out by the House of Commons. It is already clear that he will not refrain from criticising those whom he believes should be criticised, but it is a betrayal of natural justice for the hon. Gentleman to say in advance that, if the report does not produce the verdict that he prefers, the verdict is wrong.

§ Mr. Waterson
Does my right hon. Friend agree that it is encouraging that the marine pollution control unit report concluded that the clean-up operation following the incident went well? Does he also agree that it is an elementary breach of natural justice that what was essentially a draft report has been leaked to the media?

§ Sir George Young
On the first point, the MPCU report has just been published and it shows that, with the co-operation of many voluntary and statutory organisations, the damage done by that serious incident was minimised and that the impact on the tourism industry in Pembroke was not nearly as bad as had initially been feared.
3 On my hon. Friend's second point, I take seriously the selective and inaccurate leaking of a chief inspector's draft report. That should be condemned, as should the leaking of any confidential document that may adversely affect the reputations of innocent parties.

§ Mr. Donald Anderson
Does the Secretary of State agree that, amid all the environmental damage and the anguish to the hotel industry and fishermen in the area, one fact stands out: the exemplary way in which my hon. Friend the Member for Pembroke (Mr. Ainger) has represented his constituents?

§ Sir George Young
That may be for others to judge later this year. The hon. Member for Pembroke (Mr. Ainger) has been diligent about questioning Ministers, as have a number of other hon. Members on both sides of the House.