To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make it his policy to require offshore operators to submit detailed plans of seismic work to the sea mammal research unit for approval before petroleum exploration work can begin.

Where licences are awarded for blocks near to areas of cetacean activity in all or part of the year, operators are asked to consult the sea mammal research unit before seismic activity commences. They are also asked to use the lowest feasible energy levels for seismic surveys in these areas.