§ Mr. WelshTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what advice he plans to issue to fishing vessels working in the same vicinity as that in which the Westhaven AH 190 sank. [20842]
§ Mr. Bowis[holding answer 19 March 1997]: I have asked the chief executive of the Marine Safety Agency to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from R. M. Bradley to Mr. Andrew Welsh, dated 20 March 1997:
Navigational information is promulgated and regularly updated through Admiralty charts and Notices to Mariners. Information about pipelines, cables and other seabed installations is set out on specialist charts produced for the fishing industry by the Sea Fish Industry Authority.
§ Mr. WelshTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what date responsibility for the collation and dissemination of information about the emergency position indication radio beacon for the Westhaven AH190 was transferred from the Marine Safety Agency to the Coastguard agency; what were the procedures for that transfer; and in what form the information was expressed. [20844]
§ Mr. Bowis[holding answer 19 March 1997]: I have asked the chief executive of the Marine Safety Agency to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from R. M. Bradley to Mr. Andrew Welsh, dated 20 March 1997:
Responsibility for collation and dissemination of information about Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons, including that for the 'Westhaven AH 190', was transferred from the Marine Safety Agency (MSA) to the Coastguard Agency (TCA) on the 24 February 1997. Training on registry procedures was given by the MSA to TCA during week commencing 13 January 1997. Both written and verbal instruction on the mechanisms for EPIRB registration was provided during this period.
§ Mr. WelshTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what(a) co-ordination and (b) staff training took place in the Coastguard service related to the transfer of emergency position indication radio beacon 753W administration from the Marine Safety Agency; and what staff and at what grades worked at the Coastguard agency on the date of the transfer. [20845]
§ Mr. Bowis[holding answer 19 March 1997]: The transfer of the emergency position indicating radio beacon—EPIRB—administration from the MSA to the Coastguard Agency took place on 24 February 1997.
- (a) The co-ordination of the transfer was conducted by the appropriate perations managers of both organisations at a series of meetings and involved:
- (i) conversion of the MSA database to operate under Coastguard software;
- (ii) one month period "double entry" on the MSA and Coastguard databases to ensure consistency in the input process;
- (iii) the familiarisation and training of Coastguard staff on the database system.
- (b) Coastguard staff training related to the transfer covered a five-day period from 13–17 January 1997, and included:
- (i) familiarisation on the background to the EPIRB registration database;
- (ii) the general administration regime of the database;
- (iii) data input training.
In addition to the "double entry" period during which Coastguard staff improved their familiarity with the database, they also received appropriate software application training on 13 December 1996.
The Coastguard staff involved with the EPIRB database on 24 February were:
One coastguard station officer; one administration assistant; one part-time clerk/typist.
§ Mr. WelshTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) when the emergency position indication radio beacon documentation was received from the skipper of the Westhaven AH190; when it was processed; on what dates it was logged; and which authorities dealt with it; [20841]
(2) what actions his Department intends to take in respect of the loss of the Westhaven AH190; and what is the planned time scale for these actions; [20843]
(3) at what time and what date the emergency position indication radio beacon of the Westhaven AH190 was activated; [20846]
(4) what steps he intends to take to implement compulsory registration of emergency position indication radio beacons on fishing vessels. [20847]
§ Mr. Bowis[holding answer 19 March 1997]: The loss of the fishing vessel Westhaven is the subject of an inspector's inquiry carried out by the marine accident investigation branch. Investigations of this type should be completed within 12 months of the date of the accident. Interim recommendations can, however, be made at any time if there are urgent lessons to be learned emerging from the investigation.
The registration of the Westhaven's emergency beacon is being examined by the Marine Safety and Coastguard agencies. The results will be passed to the MAIB.
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