§ Mr. Sillarsasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his estimate of the cost to central Government in each year since 1966 of clearing oil slicks threatening the southern coast of England.
§ Mr. Denis HowellThe accompanying table gives the net cost to central Government for clearance of oil pollution on the coast from Cornwall to Kent in the financial years since 1968–69 when regular payments first began. The figure included for 1967 relates solely to the Torrey Canyon incident.
Year Unrecovered cost to central Government £ 1967 1,100,000 1968–69 7,000 1969–70 11,700 1970–71 89,300 1971–72 30,600 1972–73 6,000 1973–74 24,400 1974–75 Nil
§ Mr. Sillarsasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his estimate of the cost to central Government of clearing up the oil slick arising out of the collision between HMS "Achilles" and "Olympic Alliance".
§ Mr. Denis HowellThe cost incurred by central Government and local authorities in clearing up this oil slick has not yet been established. A claim will be made against the appropriate body.