§ Mr. Boyd-Carpenterasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware of the proposed United States requirements in respect of fire precautions in passenger ships using United States ports; whether he is aware that compliance with these requirements would incur heavy expenditure by British shipowners, which would be unnecessary, in view of the exceptionally good safety record of British passenger ships; and what steps he is taking to safeguard the interests and competitive future of British passenger shipping.
§ Mr. J. P. W. MallalieuYes. I am aware of the high safety standards of British passenger ships. The new requirements of the United States Government, which will come into force in November, 1968, are based on proposals recently312W adopted by the Intergovernmental Maritime Consultative Organisation (I.M.C.O.). These proposals, which apply to ships of all flags, were supported by the United Kingdom Government. In this, as in other matters, we are continuing to do everything possible to safeguard the interests of British shipping.