§ Mr. Donald Stewartasked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will estimate the number of British registered ships which have been transferred to flags of convenience in the last five years and in 1981 to date.
§ Mr. SproatThe available statistics of transfers of ships from the United Kingdom register do not disinguish cases in which a British owner retains beneficial ownership from outright sales. Moreover, there is no generally accepted definition of a flag of convenience. However, the following table gives information on all transfers to all countries. Most are believed to have been outright sales. The information is available only from 1978.