HC Deb 23 April 1968 vol 763 c8
17. Mr. Emery

asked the Minister of Power what is the machinery for consultation between his Department and the Defence Department regarding the maintenance of oil supplies to the United Kingdom.

Mr. Freeson

The Department is in constant touch with other Departments, including the Ministry of Defence.

Mr. Emery

Will the Minister assure the House that in any consultation he makes quite clear the vital rôle that Simonstown has to play in the whole question of getting oil through to this country safely?

Mr. Freeson

Questions of that kind are best directed to my right hon. Friends the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and the Secretary of State for Defence. But I would point out, as a matter of information, that tankers sailing round the Cape are not dependent on South Africa for bunkering or repair facilities.

Mr. Emery

But would not the hon. Gentleman agree that at the moment a large number of oil companies use those facilities, and they are a vital part, from the commercial aspect, of the oil lines to this country through the sea lanes?

Mr. Freeson

I think that I have already answered the question quite clearly. Tankers do not require bunkering or repair facilities in South Africa. If the hon. Gentleman is suggesting some kind of military experiment there, he should direct his attention to other Departments, not the Ministry of Power.