§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
How if "the Ministry of Defence has no involvement in matters of safety and stability of commercially operated passenger ferries in peacetime" (Lord Trefgarne's Written Answer, 24th May 1988) they are satisfied that the vessels in question are appropriately safe and stable for conveying British troops and equipment from the United Kingdom to continental Europe should the ferries have to be "taken up from trade".
§ The Minister of State for Defence Procurement (Lord Trefgarne)Contingency planning for merchant vessels for defence needs is undertaken jointly by the Ministry of Defence and the Department of Transport and is based on the number of suitable passenger ferries available which hold appropriate certificates to show that they comply with all the relevant international safety requirements.