§ Mrs. Winifred Ewingasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list 83W the membership of the Government's Fisheries and Offshore Oil Consultative Group; on how many occasions it has met, and where; what representations it has made to him on the use of the sea as a dump for oil equipment and other debris; and what reply he has sent.
§ Mr. William RossThe members of the Fisheries and Offshore Oil Consultative Group include representatives of the Scottish Fishermen's Federation, the Scottish Trawlers' Federation, and the British Trawlers' Federation; the United Kingdom Offshore Operators' Association; and the Scottish Development Department, the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Department of Energy and the Department of Trade.
The group has so far met twice, in Aberdeen.
The group has undertaken a comprehensive review of matters of common concern to the two industries. These include the problem of the dumping of debris on the seabed in the course of offshore oil activities, a practice which is illegal under the Dumping at Sea Act and has been universally condemned by all parties. As a result of the group's deliberations active steps are already being taken by the offshore operators to try to mitigate this problem, and other steps are under consideration. By close consultation and co-operation between the two industries in this way I hope that many problems can be solved. I am kept informed of the work of the group and will consider any conclusions it may reach.