§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many, and which, British stern trawlers have had to stop fishing, been abandoned, or returned to port because of fire aboard the vessel in the past 10 years, and on what occasions.
§ Mr. NobleI regret that this information is not readily available and could not be obtained without undue expenditure of time and effort.
§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many men, on what occasions, and on which vessels, have died, been lost or been injured as a result of fires aboard British stern trawlers in the past 10 years.
§ Mr. NobleTwelve lives were lost in the fire on the "St. Finbarr" on Christmas Day, 1966. The Department have no record of any other deaths or injuries as a result of such fires.
§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what have been the main causes of fire aboard British stern trawlers; and which trawlers have been affected in the past 10 years.
§ Mr. NobleThere have been five serious fires on British stern trawlers in (1966), the "Sir Fred Parkes" (1968), the this period, involving the "St. Finbarr" "Othello" (1969), the "C. S. Forester" (1970) and the "Ranger Ajax" (1972).490W There has been a Formal Investigation into one of these, that involving the "St. Finbarr", which concluded that the fire was probably caused by electrical faults in the vessel's lighting circuits. The others were believed to have been due to several different causes including spillage of fuel.
§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what further steps he is taking to check British stern trawlers for fire hazards.
§ Mr. NobleDraft regulations, including measures for improving fire safety, covering all fishing vessels of registered length of 40 feet and more are being discussed with representatives of the fishing industry and other interested bodies.