§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what surveys he has conducted as to the readiness of Welsh coastal protection services to cope with a major oil pollution incident.
§ Mr. Gwilym JonesResponsibility for dealing with any major oil pollution on the Welsh coastline rests with coastal local authorities, in conjunction with the marine pollution control unit of the Department of Transport. They maintain contingency plans which are tested in exercises and in response to specific incidents.
The Welsh Office's role is to offer support and it maintains its own oil pollution incident plan for this purpose. The Welsh Office will also seek to ensure that any lessons, relevant to Wales, to be learnt from the MV Braer incident are acted upon.