§ Mr. Prescottasked the Minister of State for Defence if he will make a statement about his Department's intention of deliberately discharging oil into the international waters of the south-west approaches to the English Channel; if he is satisfied that it could be effectively dispersed; and what type of information he requires that was not available from the substantial quantities of oil discharged from those Liberian registered vessels that recently collided or grounded in the English Channel.
§ Mr. Pardoeasked the Minister of State for Defence if he will make a statement about the purpose and extent of the experiment with oil pollution being conducted this week by the Royal Navy north-west of the Scilly Isles.
§ Mr. KirkThe object of this trial, to be conducted by Navy Department scientists, is to study the effect of natural factors on oil spilled at sea. This will be done under controlled conditions which are necessary for the analysis and measurement required and which are absent in the circumstances surrounding the wreck or stranding of a tanker. The information gained from the trial is expected to be of considerable value in dealing with possible future oil pollution disasters. There will be no danger of the oil used polluting beaches, and it will all be dispersed at the end of the trial.