§ Mr. Alasdair MorganTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to the answer of 12 January 1998,Official Report, column 111, on ferry crews, if he will set out the criteria which the Marine Safety Agency uses in assessing the ability of passenger ferry crew members to communicate in English. [23725]
§ Ms Glenda JacksonI have asked the Chief Executive of the Marine Safety Agency, Mr. Bradley, to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from R. M. Bradley to Mr. Alasdair Morgan, dated 19 January 1998:
The Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions has asked me to reply to your Question about the criteria used by the MSA in assessing the abilities of passenger ferry crew members to communicate in English.MSA inspectors, when witnessing emergency drills on passenger ferries, expect crew members to be able to communicate clearly to passengers in English the location of the following (which are specifically referred to in the Merchant Shipping (Minimum Standards of Safety Communications) Regulations 1997):
- muster stations;
- life-saving devices;
- evacuation routes;
- safety instructions;
and to be able to give a clear explanation to passengers of other matters such as:
- the nature of the emergency;
- the need to put on warm clothing;
- instruction to board a life boat or life raft.
The inspectors may apply these criteria at any other time if they feel that crew members' English language skills need to be assessed.