§ Dr. Julian LewisTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of allegations by crew members that major defects in HMS Trafalgar remain to be rectified. [170664]
§ Mr. Ingram[holding answer 4 May 2004]HMS Trafalgar returned to sea to test equipment and systems following a major period of maintenance and repair. Before a submarine undertakes such a period at sea it goes through a complex and exhaustive testing procedure by a number of authorities which is fully documented. HMS Trafalgar passed that inspection. If she had any major defects or failing systems she would not have been allowed to return to sea. The allegations made by members of her crew have been assessed by appropriately qualified engineering personnel. The allegations that HMS Trafalgar had major defects which should have prevented her return to sea are unfounded.
1713W
§ Harry CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether HMS Trafalgar is seaworthy; and if he will make a statement. [170720]
§ Mr. Ingram[holding answer 4 May 2004]HMS Trafalgar would not have returned to sea if she had not been seaworthy. Our nuclear submarines have been operating for over 40 years and have a safety record that is second to none. Before any submarine goes to sea, particularly as with HMS Trafalgar, after a period of maintenance and defect repair, it undergoes a rigorous series of safety checks and a number of authorities are involved in that process.
§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the safety concerns of the crew members who left HMS Trafalgar. [170739]
§ Mr. IngramThe Royal Navy have been operating nuclear powered submarines for over 40 years and have a safety record that is second to none. We would not send a submarine to sea unless it was safe to do so.
Of the 124 crew members on board HMS Trafalgar, 12 expressed general reservations over the material state of the submarine following a period of maintenance and repair. These concerns centred on three areas. These being:
the release, as a result of human error, of diesel exhaust fumes into the submarine;a leak into the submarine, resulting from faulty equipment not related to recent maintenance, during pressurisation of the Freon domestic refrigerant gas system; and concerns related to faults to the paint finish of the escape hatch docking seat which had been inspected and judged to be minor and insufficient to prevent successful docking of a rescue submersible if that extremely unlikely event should prose necessary.Following these individual expressions of concern, made through the appropriate channels, and the levels of stress shown by 11 of these individuals, the Commanding Officer quite properly decided to remove these sailors from the submarine for medical assessment. In doing so, he acted in the best interests of those individuals and the Service. The twelfth member of the crew who discussed his concerns with the Commanding Officer elected to remain on board and sailed with Trafalgar.