§ Mr. Eldon Griffithsasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he 197W will convene a conference of the riparian nations of North-West Europe for the purpose of reaching agreement on coordinated surveillance of the impact of oil development on the ecology of the North Sea and its surrounding coastlines, an international quick-reaction capability to deal with oil spillages and an information retrieval system to ensure that the Governments and oil companies concerned at all times are provided with up-to-date details of the most modern methods of handling accidents that may damage the marine environment.
§ Mr. ShoreThe North Sea coastal nations are very aware of the need to co-ordinate surveillance of the impact of oil development on the North Sea ecology. Monitoring and related surveys are being carried out by a working group of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea and will be discussed at the Council's meeting later this week.
The eight North Sea coastal nations are party to the Bonn Agreement (1969) for Co-operation in dealing with Pollution of the North Sea by Oil. Parties to this agreement help each other in dealing with oil spills, and exchange information about spills and about ways of avoiding pollution and new techniques for dealing with it. The member States met in Hamburg on 20th and 21st April and agreed, among other matters, on mutual exchange of information on points of contact and on available resources, in order to put the agreement on a more active footing. My colleagues and I will be carefully examining the lessons of the Ekofisk blow-out, and in the light of our examination we will consider what improvements may be necessary to strengthen national and international arrangements for preventing and dealing with pollution.
§ Mr. David Youngasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what international machinery is available to secure the environment against an accident in the Ekofisk field; what budget is avail-able; and what improvements he will suggest in view of the recent accident.
§ Mr. ShoreThe eight North Sea coastal nations are party to the Bonn Agreement (1969) for Co-operation in dealing with Pollution of the North Sea198W by Oil. Parties to this agreement help each other in dealing with oil spills, and exchange information about spills and about ways of avoiding pollution and new techniques for dealing with it.
The funding of these arrangements is channelled through various Government bodies, so that the calculation of the overall budget would be a complicated and excessively costly task. My colleagues and I will be carefully examining the lessons of the Ekofisk blow-out, and in the light of that examination we will consider what improvements may be necessary to strengthen national and international arrangements of preventing and dealing with pollution.