§ Lord KENNETasked Her Majesty's Government:
§ On whom responsibility falls for ensuring that the Greek cargo ship"Aeolian Sky"is dismantled and made safe; under what international conventions and domestic legislation this is established; whether the full costs of removal, which have been estimated by a salvage company at half a million pounds, will be met by the ship owner; and, if not, by whom, and to what extent.
§ Lord TREFGARNETrinity House, in its capacity as a general lighthouse authority, has power under Setion 531 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1894 to take action to ensure that this wreck does not pose a hazard to navigation. Any balance of the cost of such measures as cannot be recovered from the proceeds of the sale of the wreck, or from the shipowner, may become a charge on the General Lighthouse Fund, which is financed by light dues collected from ships which call at ports in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Any responsibility for ensuring that this wreck does not create a pollution problem rests with the shipowner. The Marine Pollution Control Unit of the Department of Trade will consider in conjunction with the shipowner's representatives what action might appropriately be taken in this regard when weather and sea conditions improve.