§ Mr. JannerTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what action he proposes to take to assess whether existing roll on/roll off ferry ships and new designs remain unacceptably vulnerable;
(2) when he expects to report on the findings of the Government's research programme on roll on/roll off ferry design and vulnerability.
§ Mr. McLoughlinFollowing the official report of the formal investigation into the loss of the Herald of Free Enterprise, the Department of Transport initiated a wide-ranging programme of research into ways of increasing the safety of ro-ro passenger ferries. The steering committee which supervised the programme has now completed its work, and I am studying its report and recommendations. I hope to make the report and the results of the research widely available shortly.
§ Mr. JannerTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many accidents there have been and how many casualties have been sustained in incidents involving roll on/roll off ferries at sea in each of the past 10 years for which records are available.
§ Mr. McLoughlinThe numbers of accidents involving United Kingdom passenger roll on/roll off ferries for which records are readily available, together with the numbers of lives lost, are:
143W
Year Accidents Lives Lost 1982 3 6 1983 2 — 1984 — —
Year Accidents Lives Lost 1985 1 — 1986 — — 1987 4 189 1988 1 —