MSC Napoli beaching off Branscombe, Devon

9.22.02am GMT Fri 9th Feb 2007

CALLING NOTICE

Press and broadcast media are invited to join Graham today on his visits to Branscombe and Exeter. For interviews, please call his office on 01458 252265.

Graham Watson, the South West and Gibraltar Liberal Democrat MEP, will from 1030 - 1130 today (Friday 9th February) visit Branscombe, Devon to see first hand the effect the incident has had on the area.

He will meet up with Teignbridge MP, Richard Younger-Ross, with whom he joined forces in Brussels last week to see EU Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot to discuss the incident. They raised with the Commissioner a number of concerns and pressed for a full enquiry to be held. The Commissioner informed them that the UK Government could apply for certain EU Structural Funds to help the area cope with the situation.

Graham said:

"Calls for financial compensation for the region from EU Solidarity funds are an inappropriate knee-jerk reaction since these funds are designed to help in instances where jobs have been lost due to globalisation and have a minimum threshold for payouts at £2.5 billion. Clearly neither applies in this case. However, other EU assistance maybe available to the region."

They will be briefed by Peter Doyle, Head of Communications at Devon County Council, Linda Hughes, the Parish Clerk and John Hughes a local fisherman and National Trust Beach Superintendent.

Later in the afternoon Graham will meet Councillor Brian Greenslade, Leader of Devon County Council, in County Hall, Exeter, where amongst other things they will discuss the Public Inquiry which Cllr Greenslade has called for regarding the beaching of the MSC Napoli.

Earlier this week Graham spoke at a hearing in the European Parliament. The debate brought together experts on maritime safety to focus on the facts and implications for maritime safety following the beaching of the ship in Lyme Bay.