Captain A. Evansasked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the failure to discover the origin of recent cases of oil pollution in the Bristol Channel, he will consider offering a substantial reward for any information which may help to indicate the sources of this serious nuisance?
§ Captain WallaceI will consider my hon. and gallant Friend's suggestion in consultation with the other Departments concerned. I would, however, remind him that, under the Oil in Navigable Waters Act, 1922, prosecutions are only possible when oil is discharged, or allowed to escape whether directly or indirectly, into the territorial waters of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the waters of harbours therein.