§ Mr. McNamaraasked the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement concerning the markings of inflatable liferafts following the recommendations of the court of inquiry on the loss of the Hull trawler, "St. Romanus".
§ Mr. William RodgersInflatable liferafts carried by fishing boats, and various other ships, subject to the Merchant Shipping (Life-Saving Apliances) Rules, 1965, are required to bear a serial number and the manufacturer's name. Inflatable liferafts are in practice transferred between ships. While no acceptable system has yet been devised to identify them positively with a particular ship or port, my Department are renewing urgently efforts to find a satisfactory solution to this problem.