HC Deb 26 February 2003 vol 400 cc21-2WS
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Mr. David Jamieson)

On 20 August 1989 the passenger vessel Marchioness and the dredger Bowbelle collided on the Thames. The Marchioness sank and 51 people tragically lost their lives.

Ten years later the Deputy Prime Minister announced a wide ranging public inquiry into the current safety regime on the River Thames and the circumstances surrounding the sinking of the Marchioness. The public inquiry also considered whether there should be a formal investigation into the tragedy.

Following all the inquiries Lord Justice Clarke has made a total of 74 recommendations on Thames safety. Since November 2001 I have kept both Houses informed on progress on these through two reports placed in the Libraries at six monthly intervals.

I have placed a third update in the Libraries today. Much progress has, and continues to be made and this will therefore be the final report of its kind.

Since the inquiry: manning and training on passenger ships has been reviewed and guidance prepared on safety training for crew and support staff on passenger vessels; the Safety Management Code for domestic passenger ships has been introduced, and we believe this is supporting a more focussed safety culture in the industry; the London Coastguard now co-ordinates all Search and Rescue activities on the tidal River Thames, and the five RNLI lifeboats installed in January 2002 have proved their value by attending 679 incidents in their first 12 months; MCA continues to work with other Member States to ensure that the introduction of European standards for passenger ships on inland waterways does not compromise passenger safety in the UK; a Formal Safety Assessment, carried out since the introduction of many recommendations from the Thames Safety Inquiry and Marchioness Formal Investigation has shown that the overall level of safety on the River Thames falls within acceptable limits, judged against HSE criteria. Work is continuing to identify areas where additional safety measures could bring the most significant safety benefits. This work will be completed by the end of this year. recommendations in respect of alcohol are being implemented through the Railways and Transport Safety Bill which is currently before the House.

We believe that the safety measures put in place immediately after the Marchioness disaster and again more recently following the Thames safety inquiry and Marchioness formal investigation, substantially reduce the risk of a further tragedy and would significantly improve the response to such an incident. However, we continue to look for ways to improve safety on all passenger ships through education, proportionate regulation and enforcement.