§ Mr. AllenTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many ferries have been inspected by the Marine Safety Agency leaving the United Kingdom; what proportion of those were found to be defective; and if he will make a statement. [40302]
§ Mr. NorrisThis is an operational matter for the Marine Safety Agency. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from R. M. Bradley to Mr. Graham Allen, dated 1 November 1995:
The Secretary of State for Transport has asked me to reply to your Question about the number of ferries inspected by the Marine Safety Agency (MSA).Unannounced inspections are carried out by MSA surveyors at least twice annually on every UK registered and foreign flagged passenger ferry operating from UK ports. In addition, UK registered ferries are surveyed thoroughly every twelve months by the MSA.With regard to your query relating to the number of ferry inspections and the proportion of inspections during which deficiencies were identified, I would refer you to my answer to the hon. Member for Stoke on Trent North, Ms Walley, on 22 March 1994, which can be found in Hansard volume 257 columns 222–223. A copy of each of the tables referred to in that reply is attached.