§ Mrs. DunwoodyTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will hold talks with the National Union of Marine, Aviation and Shipping Transport Officers about providing armed escorts for all British or commonwealth vessels passing through the South China sea.
§ Mr. NorrisWe are willing to consider any representations from NUMAST and other shipping interests. We treat the problems in the South China sea very seriously indeed and hope that the matter can be solved through multilateral and bilateral co-operation. At the present time, we do not believe there is a need for armed escorts.