HL Deb 03 July 1979 vol 401 cc226-8

2.53 p.m.

Lord SHINWELL

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the regulations embodied in the Merchant Shipping Act are to be published, and, if so, when.

Lord TREFGARNE

My Lords, the Merchant Shipping Act 1979 is largely an enabling measure. I envisage that we shall make the first orders or regulations under this Act well before the end of this year, and that we shall continue to use these powers for many years to come. All these orders and regulations will be published as Statutory Instruments.

Lord SHINWELL

My Lords, bearing in mind that he informs your Lordships' House that these regulations will be made before the end of this year, is the noble Lord aware that this matter was about to be raised just as the dissolution occurred, and that we were prevented from raising it because of that? Is it not important that the regulations be published immediately, in view of the fact that there has been ample time to consider them? Bearing in mind the Merchant Navy's somewhat precarious situation at the moment, is it not important to allay discontent, particularly among the navigating officers, who have been waiting for the regulations for quite a long time? Is it not possible to expedite the regulations, so that this matter can be disposed of?

Lord TREFGARNE

My Lords, the Merchant Shipping Act was not passed by Parliament until the closing days of the last Administration. It was hastened through on, I think, the very day that Parliament was dissolved, as noble Lords will recall. However, the new disciplinary arrangements were brought into operation on a voluntary basis from the beginning of this year, under the aegis of the National Maritime Board. It will take some time to work out the details of how best to extend the arrangements to cover the entire industry on a statutory basis.

Lord SHINWELL

My Lords, is the noble Lord aware that, at the time that this matter came before your Lordships' House just before the dissolution, I was about to raise the whole subject of the regulations and intimate what particular regulations were desirable immediately in order to allay discontent? Is there any reason why there should be any delay at all?

Lord TREFGARNE

My Lords, the bulk of the regulations are in fact already in force on a voluntary basis. We con- sider that it would not have been possible to make the regulations immediately the Act became law. They could not have been made before the Act became law because they are made under the Statutory Order procedure which requires, among other things, that the Statutory Order has to be laid before Parliament and must remain before Parliament for a number of days—40 days, if I remember rightly—before it comes into force. While the voluntary arrangements are continuing—and these cover at least 85 per cent. of the British merchant fleet—we are content to continue negotiations leading to the final adoption of the regulations.