§ Mr. Juddasked the Minister of State for Defence how many collisions there have been involving Royal Navy vessels in each of the past six months; what is the estimated cost of repairing the damage; what is the impact on training, operational and development programmes; whether he will undertake a study into the causes with special respect to equipment at present in use in the Navy; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. BuckThe number of collisions involving Royal Navy vessels in each of the past six months is as follows:
September 1972 … … Nil October 1972 … … 2 November 1972 … … 1 December 1972 … … Nil January 1973 … … 3 February 1973 … … 2 This list includes all collisions involving HM Ships and Royal Fleet Auxiliaries during the period in question and in the great majority of cases any damage caused was very minor.
The estimated cost of repairs is not yet available in respect of all the incidents but the total cost is unlikely to exceed £25,000.
422WThese collisions had no significant impact on training, operational and development programmes.
The causes of each incident are investigated to ascertain whether there have been any material or other failures so that appropriate action may be taken to minimise the likelihood of a recurrence.