§ Mr. Graham Pageasked the Secretary of State for Trade whether he intends to make regulations under the Merchant Shipping Act 1974 to remedy the situation which the Select Committee on Statutory Instruments in their 25th Report of last Session (HC 54-xxxv) described as an unusual use of the powers given under the Act, namely the lack of requirement for notification to the owner of a manned mobile submersible craft when the registration thereof is cancelled by the Secretary of State.
§ Mr. Clinton DavisI do not consider this necessary. The provisions of Regulation 3(8) in the Merchant Shipping (Registration of Submersible Craft) Regulations 1976, to which the Joint Committee drew attention, are primarily for the purpose of keeping the register of submersible craft up to date, and precedents are provided by similar regulations in other fields.
In practice, an owner would be notified of a proposed cancellation of registration.