§ Mr. Wallasked the Secretary of State for Trade what instructions have been given to the masters of British merchant ships about picking up refugees from Vietnam.
§ Mr. Clinton Davis:Under section 6 of the Maritime Conventions Act 1911 the master is required, so far as he can do so without danger to his own vessel, her crew or passengers, to render assistance to every person who is found at sea in danger of being lost.
In 1977 the Government through the General Council of British Shipping reminded shipping companies of this obligation and informed them in Novem-
566W
Value: £ thousand Exports (fob) SITC (R2)—Description and Division No. Machinery specialised for particular industries (72) 2,992 Manufactures of metal, n.e.s. (69) 1,047 Cereals and cereal preparations (04) 1,035 Textile yarn, fabrics, made-up articles and related products (65) 918 General industrial machinery and equipment and machine parts (74) 197 Petroleum, petroleum products and related materials (33) 196 Chemical materials and products (59) 177 Medicinal and pharmaceutical products (54) 119 Professional, scientific and controlling instruments and apparatus (87) 111 Organic chemicals (51) 59 Electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances, and electrical parts, etc. (77) 56 Textile fibres (other than wool tops) and their wastes (not manufactured into yarn or fabric) (26) 55 Metal-working machinery (73) 54 Miscellaneous manufactured articles (89) 38 Furniture and parts thereof (82) 29 Road vehicles (78) 17 Artificial resins and plastic materials, and cellulose esters and ethers (58) 14 Non-metallic mineral manufactures (66) 14 Crude animal and vegetable materials (29) 9 Telecommunications and sound recording and reproducing apparatus and equipment (76) 7 Inorganic chemicals (52) 5 Other commodities 16 Grand Total 7,161 Imports (cif) Coffee, tea, cocoa, spices and manufactures thereof (07) 354 Coal, coke and briquettes (32) 222 Miscellaneous manufactured articles (89) 134 Essential oils and perfume materials; toilet, polishing and cleansing preparations (55) 55 Crude animal and vegetable materials (29) 17 Non-metallic mineral manufactures (66) 11 Cork and wood manufactures (excluding furniture) (63) 4 General industrial machinery and equipment, and machine parts. n.e.s. (74) 2 Furniture and parts thereof (82) 1 Grand Total 801 Note: Because of rounding, there may be slight discrepancies between the totals shown and the sums of the constituent items. ber 1978 of the decisions of the executive committee of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, which called on all states, inter alia, to instruct ships flying their flags to rescue refugees in distress at sea.