HC Deb 31 July 1978 vol 955 cc8-9W
Mr. Wigley

asked the Lord President of the Council if he will publish a table showing the dates of the annual Welsh Day debates on the Floor of the House of Commons since 1970.

Mr. Foot

A table of debates relating to Wales is as follows:

of merchant shipping on the problem of improving working safety and makes a number of recommendations which the Government will carefully consider.

A statutory system of accident reporting will be instituted as soon as is practicable and certain other matters affecting safety will need to be regulated. Important though this is, as the report emphasises, safety depends above all on the readiness of seafarers and employers alike to adopt procedures which are commensurate with the risks involved. To help to secure the objectives set out in the report, the committee has prepared a comprehensive code of safe working practices for the guidance of all serving in merchant ships.

I urge everyone concerned to apply the code conscientiously and thus make his contribution to the goal that we all seek to achieve—a marked reduction in fatal and other serious accidents to seafarers.

I wish to pay tribute to the dedicated efforts of all members of the committee in producing a report which I am confident will prove to be of the utmost significance in the field of maritime safety.

The report and code will be published shortly. I am placing advance copies of the report in the Library and copies of the code will be placed there on publication.

I shortly expect to receive a report and code relating to working safety in the fishing industry.

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