To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the reasons for the delay of five years before pleasure boat operators have to implement his Department's safety guidelines.

Consultative documents for new life-saving appliance and survivability standards for small passenger ships have been issued which do not propose a delay for implementation of those standards for five years but put forward "phase-in" proposals over a five-year period. Approximately 1,000 ships and launches will be affected by these proposals. Some ships already comply with the new requirements. To impose a shorter "phase-in" period would not be realistic.