asked the Secretary of State for Trade when he will appoint the head of the new unit to be responsible for contingency planning and operations to combat oil pollution at sea.

I have appointed Rear Admiral M. L. Stacey to be director of the new Marine Pollution Control Union in the marine division of my Department. The unit will have four main tasks:

(i) To ensure that the arrangements for using the resources available for dealing with oil pollution at sea are as effective as they can be;

(ii) To develop a national plan, including measures to deal with other potential marine pollutants such as chemicals and other dangerous cargoes;

(iii) to relate these plans to those of neighbouring countries so as to provide as much mutual support as possible;

(iv) To take charge of operations at sea in the event of a marine pollution emergency in British waters.

Admiral Stacey, who is at present serving as Flag Officer and Port Admiral, Gibraltar, will retire from the Royal Navy and take up his new appointment on a full-time basis towards the end of January 1979. He will be in the United Kingdom in early December to discuss planning for the new unit.Captain Ralph Maybourn, a director of BP Tanker Company, will serve part-time as a special adviser to the unit.