§ Mr. McMahonasked the Minister for Trade how many general inspections of vessels were carried out in the river Clyde area in the most recent year for which figures are available; and what was the volume of shipping traffic on the Clyde during the same period.
§ Mr. SproatMarine surveyors of my Department carried out 104 general inspections of vessels in the river Clyde area (including Ayr and Troon) in 1982. During this period the respective harbour authorities recorded 586 visits by foreign-going ships in the Clyde river and 682 visits by dry cargo ships to Ayr and Troon. These figures include repeat visits by the same ships.