§ 1. Sir H. Roperasked the Minister of Transport what recommendations he has received from the committee appointed to make inquiries concerning the prevention of pollution of the coast by oil; and what action he is taking on them.
§ 31. Mr. Stokesasked the Minister of Transport whether he has yet received the report of the committee appointed to examine the pollution of the beaches of Cornwall and other areas by oil and oil refuse; and whether he will make a statement.
§ The Minister of Transport (Mr. Alan Lennox-Boyd)The committee have not yet reported, and there is no statement that I can usefully make at present, except that they are going ahead vigorously with their inquiries.
§ Sir H. RoperWould my right hon. Friend say how many nations have now subscribed to the international convention that will bring the matter on to the international plane?
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydI am not able to give an answer to that at this moment, but I believe that the mere fact that we are attacking this problem with present vigour may lead to a substantial increase in that number.
§ Mr. StokesIt is all very well for the Minister to say this is being attacked with vigour. We have heard that before. Is he conscious that this started a long time ago, and can he give the House an assurance that we shall have something from him of a constructive nature before we go away at Easter?
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydI am fully conscious of the fact that this problem also existed under the late Administration. We are now doing our best to tackle it really successfully. We have got over all the preliminary stages of assembling information with the various companies and other bodies concerned and are now having weekly meetings in the Department to evolve practical suggestions. I have every hope that we shall have some practical suggestions to make before the summer.
§ Sir L. RopnerIs my right hon. Friend aware that uninstructed opinion thinks of this as an easy matter with which to deal, whereas there are many technical difficulties to be overcome, and that it may well be that the committee will have some difficulty in reporting quite early?
§ Mr. ManuelIs the Minister aware of the very large amount of money that has been expended by local authorities in coastal districts on the treatment of raw sewage, and that their efforts are being nullified in many areas by oil on the beaches, which makes them quite unsafe and unsuitable for bathing?
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydThat is one of the reasons why we are having the inquiry.