§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what methods are being used by Her Majesty's Government to monitor the effectiveness of the London and Oslo dumping convention in respect of persistent plastics.
§ Mr. Gummer[pursuant to his reply, 3 July 1986]: The effectiveness of these conventions is regularly reviewed by member countries on the basis of statistical data and scientific assessment of the state of the sea. Both organisations recognise that persistent plastics enter the sea mainly from coastal tipping, littering, or from ships' garbage, and not from sea dumping as such.