To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make public the results of analysis of the marine pollution unit oil spill exercise carried out in the Minch on 4 and 5 July.

The marine pollution control unit (MPCU) oil spill exercise carried out in the Minch on 4 and 5 July 1990 was the latest in a continuing series of annual live exercises designed to activate and test contingency plans to deal with oil spillages from ships. These objectives were successfully achieved by the exercise. Some minor lessons were learned with regard to communications and certain aspects of on-scene command and control. These have been taken into account.