§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, in the light of the shipwreck of the "European Gateway" and of the "Inca Yahuar Huaca" and the subsequent washing up of drums of chemicals on various shores, they are still content that liability in relation to hazardous cargoes other than in bulk shall not be covered by the International Convention on Hazardous Cargoes now being negotiated in the International Maritime Organisation, and, if so, why.
§ The Secretary of State for Trade (Lord Cockfield)Work within the International Maritime Organisation on the Convention on Hazardous Cargoes has virtually been completed and all that remains is for the draft convention to be considered by a diplomatic conference next year. The convention as drafted deals only with bulk carriage. While the issue is one for the International Maritime Organisation as a whole and not for Her Majesty's Government, I understand that there is no prospect that the matter could be re-opened at this stage and the draft convention extended to cover packaged substances.