§ Mr. Spearingasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what action the Central Unit on Environmental Pollution in his Department has taken in relation to the risk of oil spills, particularly in the light of the development of the offshore oil industry.
§ Mr. Denis HowellAn interdepartmental group of officials, under the leadership of the Central Unit on Environmental Pollution, has undertaken an assessment of the risks of oil spill incidents in the early 1980s, the environmental impact that those spills might have, and the nature and scale of the organisation and resources which might be needed to cope with them. Their report will be published shortly in the Pollution Paper series under the title "Accidental oil pollution of the sea". It concludes that the present division of responsibility for dealing with oil spills is essentially correct but makes a number of specific recommendations. The Government have not yet formed a view on the conclusions and recommendations of the report, and we shall be inviting all those concerned to submit comments on it by 30th November 1976. In this way we hope that the decisions ultimately taken by the Government on the best ways of minimising the risks of oil pollution associated with the shipping and offshore industries will be based on as full and informed an understanding of the situation as is currently possible.