HC Deb 16 May 1988 vol 133 cc354-5W
8. Mr. Battle

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if his Department has conducted any research on the effect of competition on passenger safety at sea; and if he will make a statement.

17. Mr. Galloway

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his latest assessment of the implications of competition with the Channel tunnel for the level of passenger safety standards on ferries.

Mr. Channon

Research of the kind suggested would not be fruitful, since passenger safety must always remain an overriding priority, whilst competition is aimed at improving efficiency and service to customers.

19. Mr. Hinchliffe

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the implications of competition for standards of passenger safety at sea.

Mr. Channon

None. Work of this kind would not be fruitful, since passenger safety must always remain paramount, while competition is aimed at improving efficiency and service to customers.

30. Mr. Dykes

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received from the public concerning the implications for passenger safety of the Dover ferries dispute between National Union of Seamen members and the P and O company.

Mr. David Mitchell

I have received a number of representations from hon. Members and members of the public since this dispute began. Most of these in fact related to the working arrangements for officers, who are represented by Numast, rather than to the NUS dispute itself. Since P and O and Numast reached agreement on new working arrangements some weeks ago, I have had very few representations on the dispute or on safety questions.