§ Mr. WatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assumption he makes for the purposes of pollution compensation schemes of the likely pollution clean-up cost of a major oil tanker pollution casualty on the south coast of England.
§ Mr. NorrisThe limits of the funds available under the international compensation arrangements are designed to meet fully the costs of any incident in European waters. The current limit is some £50 million and this has not been exceeded in Europe since the system came into operation in 1978. However a diplomatic conference in November, co-sponsored by the United Kingdom, has agreed on protocols to double the current limit which will come into force once a minimum number of states have ratified them.