§ Mr. Palmerasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what measures of co-operation are being undertaken by Her Majesty's Government and fellow North Sea States to prevent future disasters caused by the pollution of the sea by oil.
§ Mr. MulleyAn Agreement between the eight states bordering the North Sea and English Channel to co-operate in dealing with oil pollution was signed on 9th June by Her Majesty's Ambassador in Bonn and by representatives of the Governments of the Federal Republic of Germany, France, Belgium, Norway, Sweden and Denmark. It will enter into force on 9th August, 1969.
The Agreement requires Contracting States to request shipping and aircraft to report major oil slicks. States will also be under an obligation to circulate to other Contracting Parties reports on the presence, extent and movements of slicks. If one state whose coasts are threatened requests assistance in disposing of the oil, the others must use their best endeavours to help.
In the North Sea, zones of responsibility for each Contracting State have been established for this purpose: south 6W of the Thames Estuary and in the English Channel there will be two zones of joint responsibility which will serve the same purpose.
The Agreement should help Britain and the other signatories to obtain information about oil slicks which might endanger their coasts. It will also provide means of obtaining assistance, where possible, in the event of a major spillage for which individual national resources are inadequate.