Mr. Alan Lee Williamsasked the President of the Board of Trade (1) how many applications have been made for voluntary Board of Trade certificates for masters of passenger or pleasure boats on the River Thames for the latest convenient period;
(2) what qualifications are required of masters of passenger craft within the landward limits of the River Thames.
§ Mr. William RodgersPersons in charge of craft carrying over 12 but not more than 250 passengers and operating within the River Thames west of Gravesend are expected to hold the Board of Trade's boatman's licence. This licence is at present held on a voluntary basis but it is hoped to make it mandatory at a later date. The Port of London Authority requires the person in charge of a passenger craft working for hire between the landward limit of the Port of London and Lower Hope Point to hold a waterman's licence.
We are considering whether persons whose competence to take charge of this sort of craft has been assessed under the Port of London Authority's arrangements could be exempted from the boatman's licensing scheme. From 1st June, 1968 to the present time there have been 240 applications for the boatman's licence for persons operating craft in the River Thames, 153 for craft between Lower Hope Point and Teddington. No applicant has been refused a licence.
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Mr. Alan Lee Williamsasked the President of the Board of Trade how many accidents involving pleasures craft on the River Thames occurred in the years 1964 to 1967.
§ Mr. William RodgersThe numbers of accidents involving pleasure craft, of which the Board of Trade are aware, reported as having occurred in the tidal reaches of the Thames were; 6 in 1964; 10 in 1965; 5 in 1966; 2 in 1967. The Thames Conservancy Board told us that in the non-tidal reaches above Teddington Weir the total accidents were: 56 in 1964; 59 in 1965; 60 in 1966; 45 in 1967.