§ Mr. Nicholas BennettTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Pembroke on 17 January, what action is taken by his Department to ensure that masters of ferries between Ireland and Great Britain do not permit the maximum number of passengers allowed for any voyage to be exceeded.
§ Mr. PortilloFor passenger ferries on routes between Great Britain and both Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic there is a statutory duty on owners to operate a boarding card system. The purpose of the cards is to ensure that the master has an accurate count of the total number of passengers on board for any voyage, and above all that the number does not exceed that on the passenger ship certificate. The operation of these arrangements is regularly checked on the spot by the Department's marine surveyors. It is an offence to breach the requirements of the boarding card regulations.