§ Mr. Laurance Reedasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he is aware that there are 7,000 wrecks on the bottom of the North Sea, of which only 4,000 are approximately marked on Admiralty charts; and if he will now seek wreck dispersal powers for his department.
§ Mr. RidleyYes, but I see no need for the Department to obtain wreck dispersal powers. Under the Merchant Shipping Act, 1894, Trinity House and the Northern Lighthouse Board have powers to remove wrecks which are a danger to navigation in the North Sea and are within their areas of jurisdiction.