§ Mr. David ShawTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make a statement on the safety of ferry ships.
§ Mr. Steven NorrisThe Government consider that all ro-ro passenger ferries should be required to meet the full safety of life at sea—SOLAS '90—standard for damage stability. Despite intensive efforts, it has not so far probed possible to secure sufficient international support for implementation of the full SOLAS '90 standard on existing vessels over a reasonable time scale. We will continue to seek support in the International Maritime Organisation for an amendment to the convention. Meanwhile, we are considering alternative ways of achieving the same objective for vessels using United Kingdom ports.