§ Dr. GodmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the contingency plans to deal with the foundering of an oil tanker in the Minch; if he will place a copy of the plans in the Library; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. McLoughlinThe foundering of a tanker in the Minch would be dealt with in the same way as it would anywhere in United Kingdom waters and the response would have to be tailored to the particular circumstances of the incident. The marine pollution control unit MPCU is responsible for dealing with pollution at sea. Coastal local authorities are responsible for preparing detailed clean-up contingency plans for their particular coastlines and for dealing with pollution that comes ashore, supported by the MPCU as necessary.
MPCU resources, full details of which are already available in the House of Commons Library, are pre-positioned at strategic locations in the United Kingdom to permit rapid response to any part of the coast and there are no plans related to specific areas. MPCU remote-sensing and dispersant-spraying aircraft are based at Inverness and would be immediately reinforced by the MPCU remote-sensing and dispersant-spraying aircraft based at Coventry in the event of a major incident in the Minch. MPCU at sea oil recovery equipment, nearest at Aberdeen, and specialist beach cleaning equipment, nearest at Stirling, would be mobilised and further resources obtained as necessary from MPCU stockpiles, United Kingdom commercial sources and from other North sea countries under the terms of the Bonn Agreement.
The Western Isles island council and the Highland regional council are responsible for the coastline in the immediate area of the Minch and have each prepared detailed oil spill contingency plans for dealing with pollution which comes ashore on their beaches. It is for them to determine the availability of their plans.
These MPCU and local authority arrangements for responding to major pollution incidents in the Minch were successfully tested in the MPCU live counter-pollution exercise MINCHEX which was carried out on 4 and 5 May 1990.