§ Sir James SpicerTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action he has taken in respect of the papers on the Lyme bay rescue operation forwarded to him in December 1994 on the direction of the trial judge. [23163]
§ Mr. NorrisHM Coastguard conducted its own internal investigation into the rescue operation. This was made available to the court during the trial of the company owning the activity centre, the managing director and the manager. HM Coastguard took action to discipline certain officers and to improve procedures and performance at the local rescue centre. In the light of the remarks of the trial judge I have asked John Reeder QC to conduct a review with the following terms of reference
348WIn the light of Coastguard internal inquiry, the evidence presented to the Lyme Bay trial and the judge's comments in his summing up—
- (i) to review all the actions, both internal and external taken by Coastguard during and subsequent to the tragedy.
- (ii) to consider how far this action was appropriate and whether any further action was necessary, and
- (iii) to make recommendations.
Consideration under item (ii) should cover the suggestion by the hon. Member for Dorset, West that harbourmasters should be given a more formal role in Coastguard's emergency procedures.
The findings will be published.