HC Deb 04 February 2002 vol 379 cc738-9W
Mr. Peter Duncan

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what was the(a) average time and (b) maximum permitted time taken to complete an investigation by the Marine Accidents Investigation Board in the last five years. [32198]

Mr. Jamieson

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch is required by the Merchant Shipping (Accident Reporting and Investigation) Regulations 1999 to cause a report of an investigation into an accident to be made publicly available in the shortest time possible. The target time for publishing a report is nine months. The average time taken to complete an investigation and publish reports in the past five years has been 9.8 months. There is no maximum permitted time.

Mr. Peter Duncan

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when he expects to publish the report by the Marine Accidents Investigation Board into the sinking of the Solway Harvester. [32199]

Mr. Jamieson

Subject to there being no unforeseen last minute delay, the Marine Accidents Investigation Branch intends to publish its report of the sinking of the Solway Harvester during the last week in February 2002.