§ Mr. Cordleasked the Secretary of State for Trade whether he is yet able to report any progress in his consultations with the shipping industry and the other interested parties regarding the introduction of legislation to implement the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships 1973.
§ Mr. Clinton DavisSince my reply to the honourable Member on 19th July, work has continued on the development of monitoring and control equipment, and the Department is considering the problems involved in the provision of reception facilities in the light of information recently provided by the shipping industry.
The Marine Environmental Protection Committee of the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organisation has also considered these and other problems, but it is clear that much remains to be done internationally before this convention can be brought into force. In the meantime, various shorter-term measures to reduce marine pollution are being pursued including the general introduction of the 1969 amendments to the 1954 convention which are already mandatory on United Kingdom vessels.—[Vol. 877, c. 304.]