HC Deb 29 April 1977 vol 930 cc480-1W
Mr. Ifor Davies

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether he is satisfied with the contingency plans of his Department for dealing with oil slicks on the Gower coast; and if he will seek to take action against ships discharging their waste material into the open sea.

Mr. Clinton Davis

My Department, which works closely with local authorities in the protection of the coast from oil pollution, has anti-pollution resources located at Swansea and Milford Haven. In October last the Department staged a major oil pollution exercise specifically to test the adequacy of the contingency arrangements for the protection of the Gower peninsula from oil spills at sea. Lessons learned from such exercises are applied for the improvement of the contingency plans. The Department follows up all reports of alleged discharges of oily wastes by ships, and takes appropriate action against offenders under the Prevention of Oil Pollution Act 1971.

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