HC Deb 29 April 2002 vol 384 cc560-1W
Tom Brake

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions whether pilotage services operated by Humber Pilots Limited are covered by contract; and if he will make a statement. [53072]

Mr. Jamieson

Humber Pilots Ltd. no longer provide pilotage services: they gave notice on their contract with the competent harbour authority which expired in January 2002.

Tom Brake

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on the circumstances in which the Humber Pilots Limited contract with Associated British Ports was terminated and the former pilots' authorisations revoked; and if he will make a statement. [53070]

Mr. Jamieson

The contract between Associated British Ports and Humber Pilots Ltd. is a matter for the parties and it was not appropriate for Ministers to become involved in the dispute which arose between them over it. The Pilotage Act 1987 provides for there to be a contract between authorised pilots and their competent harbour authority, and for authorisations to be revoked if there ceases to be one.

I understand that, when Humber Pilots Ltd. gave notice on their contract, expiring in January 2002, the authority responded by formally advising each authorised pilot that his authorisation would then be revoked by virtue of termination of the contract between the authority and Humber Pilots Ltd.

Tom Brake

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many Humber pilots work for Humber Pilots Limited; how many worked on 12 December 2001; and, in each case, how many were formally authorised by the competent harbour authority and what their qualifications were; and if he will make a statement. [53086]

Mr. Jamieson

I understand that no pilots worked for Humber Pilots Ltd: it was established as a co-operative under the Friendly Society Act 1965 with its members treated as self-employed. I also understand that, on 12 December 2001, 136 members of Humber Pilots Ltd. were authorised as pilots by the competent harbour authority. The Department does not have detailed information on their qualifications. The paper on the new Humber pilotage service mentioned in the answer given to the hon. Member for Gedling (Vernon Coaker) on Tuesday 16 April 2002, Official Report, columns 803–04W states (in paragraph 4.5.) that about 20 of the 136 did not have a Class 1 Certificate of Competency.