§ Mr. WrayTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made since 1997 in reducing pollution in UK waters; what proposals he has to further reduce these levels; and if he will make a statement. [100491]
937W
§ Mr. JamiesonMy Department has taken a number of proactive measures since 1997 with a view to reducing pollution in UK waters. Among these measures, the following are particularly worthy of note
in 1997 we were the first country to introduce a statutory requirement on ports to prepare a port waste management plan to address the waste disposal needs of all types of ships calling.in 1997, we introduced legislation which enables magistrates to impose a fine of up to £250,000 on either the master or ship owner for an oil pollution offence. This is the highest fine for any offence in a magistrates court.we have played a leading role in launching the 1997 Quality Shipping Campaign, which tackles the problem of substandard shipping and marine pollution by addressing the role of owners and flag states in fulfilling their responsibilities under relevant international conventions.in 1999 we introduced the role of Secretary of State's Representative for Maritime Salvage and Intervention (commonly know as SOSREP), who has the power to oversee, control and, if necessary, intervene in salvage operations within UK waters involving vessels or fixed platforms where there is a significant risk of pollution. The SOSREP role has proved very successful, as well as being an international first for the UK.in 1999 we increased the number of government-funded Emergency Towing Vessels (ETVs) around the UK coast to four (located in the Dover Strait, the Minch, the South West approaches and in the Fair Isle), and in October 2001 we extended their period of operation so that all four operate all year round.in 2000, we published the revised National Contingency Plan for Marine Pollution from Shipping and Offshore Installations, setting out how the relevant agencies and authorities in the UK will respond to such pollution incidents.As regards further measures, the Government are now in the final stages of the identification of Marine Environmental High Risk Areas (MEHRAs), which will further assist in the protection of our seas and coasts. We are working on a consultation document which will announce the locations of the MEHRAs and seek comments on a range of issues associated with MEHRAs. We expect to issue the document for public consultation shortly.
My Department's Maritime and Coastguard Agency annually commissions a report to compile statistics and other information on the different types of marine pollution in the waters around the British Isles. Since 1965 this work has been completed by the Advisory Committee on Protection of the Sea (ACOPS), and in 2000 the ACOPS Report was revised and now provides data on the number of incidents, the type of incident by pollutant, the source of the pollutant and the geographical distribution of the reported incidents. The key figures from the ACOPS Reports since 1997 on chemical, oil, diesel spillages in UK waters are as follows.
938W
2001 2000 Number of pollution incidents 678 743 Incidents where source could be identified (Percentage) 87 88 Incidents from offshore oil and gas installations (Number) 419 456 Mineral oils (Percentage) 95.5 95 Chemicals (Percentage) 1.3 0.7 Garbage (Percentage) 0.4 0.5 Vegetable/animal oils (Percentage) 0.3 0.4 Other substances (Percentage) 2.4 3
Number of pollution incidents Incidents where source could be identified Incidents from offshore oil and gas installations Incidents where an estimate of the quantify of oil was reported Incidents where 100 gallons or more were spilled 2001 678 614 419 544 67 2000 743 627 456 543 77 1999 747 748 382 541 69 1998 801 609 359 613 87 1997 723 578 351 553 100