asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he is aware that 100,000 breeding pairs of puffins have recently perished on St. Kilda from feeding in polluted waters; and what steps he proposes taking to clean the offending waters.

It is true that there has been an appreciable decline in the breeding population of puffins on St. Kilda over the past few years, but I am unable to confirm that the reason for this is the one suggested by the hon. Gentleman. The Government have taken a number of actions designed to diminish pollution of the sea, notably the introduction of the Oil in Navigable Waters Act, 1971, and the signature on 15th February last of the Oslo Convention to control dumping in the North-East Atlantic area.