§ Mr. CorbynTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a further statement on action being taken to end environmental destruction in the Gulf region.
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§ Mr. Baldry[holding answer 16 April 1991]: I listed the actions which the United Kingdom had taken to help alleviate the effects of oil pollution in the Gulf in my reply to the motion tabled by the hon. Member for Linlithgow on 15 March, Official Report, Vol. 187, columns 1384–91. Since then, the Government have continued to respond positively to requests for assistance from the Gulf states. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry was accompanied on his recent visit to Kuwait by a team of experts to advise on the capabilities which United Kingdom industry could offer for extinguishing oil fires and capping the wells. The Government are also making available to the Gulf states an assessment of the health and environment effects of those fires. In relation to the coastal oil slick, part of the £1 million which the United Kingdom has contributed to the International Maritime Organisation is being deployed to clean up Karan island, a key Gulf breeding site for green turtles.