§ 6. Sir T. Mooreasked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what results the international exchange of views on oil pollution has had to date; and what likelihood there is in the near future of an agreement to install separators on all ocean-going cargo vessels.
§ The Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation (Mr. John Boyd-Carpenter)Twenty countries have signed a convention, subject to ratification. The Oil in Navigable Waters Bill will, if Parliament passes it, enable Her Majesty's Government to ratify it, and power is proposed to be taken to provide for the installation of equipment of this kind in certain British ships. Another international conference will take place in 1957. The question of separators will be further discussed then.
§ Sir T. MooreWhile gratefully acknowledging what the Government are trying to do in this matter, may I ask my right hon. Friend whether there is really any hope of success in getting international agreement on the installation of separators, because that really is the issue?
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterThe international convention to which I referred was a great advance on any previous agreement which it had been possible to reach, but we can always hope to carry it further.