River Thames (Hansard, 6 December 1999)

§ Mrs. Dunwoody
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions who has responsibility for search and rescue on the River Thames in the event of an emergency. [99624]

§ Mr. Hill
Her Majesty's Coastguard is responsible for the initiation and co-ordination of civil maritime search and rescue within the United Kingdom search and rescue region. That region includes all tidal waters within UK territorial limits, and so includes the tidal River Thames.
Within that, responsibility for search and rescue on the Thames is undertaken by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), the Port of London Authority (PLA) and the Metropolitan Police; under detailed Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) between them, MCA retains overall responsibility and also handles incidents in the Thames estuary upstream to Canvey Island as part of its coastal operation. Under the MoU between MCA and the PLA, the PLA co-ordinates search and rescue incidents on the rest of tidal Thames, west of Canvey Island to Teddington Lock. PLA in turn have an MoU with the Metropolitan Police, covering the Thames between Crayfordness and Teddington, under which the Police assume responsibility for handling major incident in that area.

§ Mrs. Dunwoody
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will set out the division of responsibilities between the Marine Coastguard Agency, the River Police (Thames Division), the Fire Brigade and the Port of London Authority for safety on the River Thames. [99622]

§ Mr. Hill
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) is responsible for developing, promoting and enforcing high standards of marine safety; for minimising loss of life among seafarers and coastal users; and for responding to maritime emergencies 24 hours a day. This responsibility applies to the River Thames where MCA is responsible for the initiation and co-ordination of search and rescue.
The Port of London Authority (PLA) is responsible for the maintenance of the safety of navigation and for the conservancy of the tidal Thames. Under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the MCA, the PLA also co-ordinates search and rescue incidents west of Canvey Island to Teddington Lock. The PLA in turn has an MoU with the Metropolitan Police covering the Thames between Crayfordness and Teddington, under which the Police assume responsibility for any major incident in that area.
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) Thames Division is responsible for the prevention of crime and disorder, high visibility patrolling and emergency policing response, which includes saving or preserving life when called upon to do so. It has general responsibility for the co-ordination of the response to civil emergencies. Accordingly, the MPS assumes responsibility for any major incident between Crayfordness and Teddington. But it does not provide a dedicated search and rescue facility.
424W
The London Fire Brigade (LFB) has designated responsibility for fire fighting and the provision of fire prevention information and advice. It has no designated responsibility for river rescue. With a view to increasing flexibility of river borne operations, it recently took delivery of two new fast response craft. While the primary purpose of these craft is for firefighting, they can be used to assist rescue operations and are equipped to do so. In the event of a serious incident on the Thames, the LFB would place their vessels and themselves at the disposal of the other relevant authorities to help rescue casualties.

§ Mrs. Dunwoody
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions on how many occasions the Regional Marine Safety Committee has met; who are the members; what recommendations it has made on safety on the Thames; and how many recommendations have not been acted on. [99620]

§ Mr. Hill
The London District Marine Safety Committee covers safety on the Thames. It is chaired by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and has met on 11 occasions. Its members are representatives of HM Coastguard; Norfolk County Council; London Fire and Civil Defence Authority; Environment Agency; Port of London Authority; Health and Safety Executive; Trinity House; the Metropolitan Police; P&O European Ferries; Stena Line; F T Everard and Sons; National Federation of Fisherman's Organisations; Royal Yachting Association and Upper Thames Passenger Boat Association.
The main purpose of District Marine Safety Committees is to keep under review the distribution of responsibilities for safety, rescue and control of pollution on inland and coastal waters. They facilitate communication between interested parties and resolve local issues quickly. In fulfilling this role the London District Safety Committee, its sub-committees and working groups have considered a wide range of issues, many relevant to safety on the Thames. Achievements include development of model guidelines for Port Emergency Plans; assisting in the development of two Codes of Practice, one for local authorities and one for users, on Personal Watercraft; providing guidance on manning scales for small passenger boats; development of an inland waterway boat activity matrix as a basis for risk assessment and development of emergency plans for stretches of water with significant usage.
The London District Marine Safety Committee has made recommendations of more general interest to the annual National Marine Safety Steering Group Committee and its successor, the Marine Safety Co-ordinating Committee. Of particular relevance was a recommendation on the need to introduce more specific regulation to control alcohol abuse; a public consultation document was issued on 2 December 1999.