Seanad Éireann debate -
Thursday, 8 Mar 1979

Vol. 91 No. 6

Whiddy Island Disaster: Motion.

Mr. W. Ryan

I move:

That it is expedient that a tribunal be established for—

1. inquiring into the following definite matters of urgent public importance:

(1) the immediate and other causes of, and the circumstances of and leading to, the explosions and fires on and in the vicinity of the ship Betelgeuse and the jetty of the terminal of Gulf Oil Terminals (Ireland) Limited at Whiddy Island, Bantry, in the County of Cork on the 8 January 1979,

(2) the circumstances of and leading to the loss of life on and in the vicinity of the ship and jetty on the 8 January 1979,

(3) the measures, and their adequacy, taken on and before the 8 January 1979, on, in the vicinity of and in relation to the ship and at, in the vicinity of and in relation to the terminal to prevent, and to minimise and otherwise to deal with—

(a) fires and explosions of the kinds aforesaid, and

(b) the occurrence of circumstances of the kinds that led to the loss of life aforesaid;

and

2. making such recommendations (if any) as the Tribunal, having regard to its findings, thinks proper.

Minister for Tourism and Transport (Mr. Faulkner)

This motion sets out the terms of reference which the Government propose to give to the tribunal of inquiry which is being set up to inquire into the Bantry Bay disaster of 8 January last. Fifty-one people lost their lives in the terrible events of that morning and I do not need to remind Senators of the appalling impact which that tragedy made on all of us and our deep dismay that such an event should occur.

It was immediately clear that the most searching and exhaustive inquiry must be conducted into the disaster. The Taoiseach announced on 8 January, the day of the disaster, that the fullest possible inquiry would be held and on the following day I announced that this would take the form of a public sworn inquiry.

There are two reasons in particular why the fullest possible inquiry must be held. First, we have a duty to the victims of the disaster and to their bereaved relatives to make every possible effort to establish the circumstances and causes of the disaster and to identify as precisely as possible the lessons which we can learn from it so that we may be in a position to take whatever measures are necessary to minimise the possibility of such terrible events occurring again; secondly, we have a wider obligation, which extends to all those who go to sea in ships, whether in tankers or otherwise, and those who continue to work at oil terminals. We would hope that, from our experience of this appalling tragedy, there are lessons which can be learned which will contribute to making the seas and the ports of the world safer and we have, accordingly, a duty to isolate those lessons and benefit from them.

There are, therefore, compelling reasons for the widest possible investigation into the disaster. Furthermore, such investigation must have the standing and powers commensurate with the important task which is being assigned to it by the Government.

Accordingly, the Government decided that the body appointed to hold the inquiry should have the highest status in law. Following an examination of existing legislative provisions which provide statutory authority for the holding of public inquiries into incidents of this kind, it became clear that a tribunal of inquiry under the Tribunals of Inquiry (Evidence) Act, 1921 would best meet the requirements which the Government had in mind. It became necessary, however, to draft and enact amending legislation in order to ensure the effectiveness of the inquiry. It was in these circumstances that the Minister for Justice promoted the Tribunals of Inquiry (Evidence) (Amendment) Bill, 1979 which has since been enacted and which contains provisions which, inter alia, require the attendance of witnesses, the giving of evidence and the production of documents.

An eminent judge of the High Court, Mr. Justice Declan Costello, has agreed to hold the inquiry. He will be assisted by a number of assessors who will be chosen on the basis of high calibre, experience and expertise. Senators have before them the comprehensive terms of reference which the Government propose to give to the tribunal. We propose to ask it to investigate the causes and circumstances of the disaster and the resultant loss of life as well as the adequacy of the measures taken to prevent and deal with accidents at, in the vicinity of and in relation to the terminal and the ship. Furthermore, the tribunal may make such recommendations as, having regard to its findings, it may think proper. The terms of reference have been deliberately drawn up after the most detailed consideration with the objective of providing the tribunal with full scope in its conduct of the inquiry.

As Senators are, of course, aware, the effectiveness of the inquiry will be governed to a large extent by the evidence and expert opinion which is presented to it. One of the tragic aspects of this disaster is the fact that there were no survivors among those aboard the vessel or present on the jetty at the time of the explosion and fire. This obviously makes the task of the tribunal particularly difficult and makes it all the more essential that the most thorough and painstaking examination of the wreck and the jetty be carried out with a view to providing evidence for the tribunal.

Accordingly, I made arrangements in the immediate aftermath of the disaster to ensure the assembly and preservation of evidence necessary for the conduct of the inquiry. My first action in this regard was the appointment, on the day following the disaster, of an officer of my Department to undertake a preliminary inquiry under the Merchant Shipping Act, 1894. When the bow section of the vessel had been rendered safe for examination after the completion of gas inerting, the work of investigation and assembly of evidence was carried out under the close supervision of my Department. In order to do this, I assembled a team of experts comprising maritime technical experts from my own Department assisted by experts from the Institute for Industrial Research and Standards and Irish Shipping Ltd. and augmented, as necessary, by technical experts from abroad. My aim has been to ensure that nothing which would have contributed to the cause of the disaster is overlooked and that the tribunal will have the assistance of the best available expertise.

Representatives of the other parties with a direct interest in the hearings before the tribunal have also had access to the wreck and the jetty with my consent and under my supervision. These facilities have been granted subject to appropriate safeguards and in an atmosphere of agreement and co-operation between all concerned. Everybody realises the vital importance of the work which is being done and the value of the contribution which they may be making to safer operations in the future. I have no doubt that all concerned in the investigations share a real desire to establish, in so far as this is possible, the truth of what happened to cause the disaster of 8 January.

The examination of the bow section of the vessel has been completed and that portion was towed to a selected sinking site about 100 miles west-south-west of Fastnet and scuttled on 23 February last. Work on the salvage of the midsection and after section is proceeding and will take some time. Similar work of examination by experts is being carried out on the remaining sections of the vessel and on the jetty to establish whether they can yield any possible evidence as to the cause of the disaster.

We have not yet reached a stage where a date can be set for the commencement of the inquiry but I can say that it will be held at Bantry.

It would clearly be inappropriate for me at this time to comment on any matter which will arise for consideration by the tribunal and I do not propose to do so. I must not, however, let the opportunity pass without paying tribute to the very considerable work put in by many people, often in difficult and, indeed, dangerous conditions, in the aftermath of the disaster.

The Garda, Army, Air Corps and Naval personnel did a tremendous job. The most immediate task after the explosion and fire was to remove the remaining oil from the bow section, to eliminate the risk of further pollution and to ensure against danger of further fire or explosion. In these areas, the shipowners, terminal operators, salvors and their employees worked in difficult and hazardous conditions to make the wreck safe and to contain the risk of oil spillage. These tasks were undertaken with efficiency and expedition and have received international praise for the way in which they were carried out. The anti-pollution operations in particular have been of considerable effectiveness, having regard to the potential pollution hazard of the severely damaged vessel. The damage caused by pollution and the use of dispersants has been kept to a minimum and the position remains under constant surveillance.

I would like to place on record also my appreciation of the efficiency and dedication with which officials of the various Government Departments, including my own Departments of Tourism and Transport and Posts and Telegraphs, the Departments of Defence, Environment, Fisheries and Labour, the Attorney General's Office and local authorities tackled and dealt with the various problems which arose in the aftermath of the disaster. I would also wish to record my appreciation of the facilities provided by the British and French authorities.

Finally it is my fervent hope that, despite the very considerable difficulties which face them in their task, the tribunal will find it possible to establish the cause of the disaster. The fact that there were, tragically, no survivors among those most intimately concerned in those fateful final moments leaves a large gap in the available evidence.

The amending legislation already enacted and the resolution now before the House are designed to ensure that the tribunal will have all the powers necessary for its purposes and will suffer from no constraints which might hinder its work. I have no doubt that the Seanad fully shares the Government's objectives in this matter and will lend its full support to the resolution.

Mr. Markey

In welcoming this motion to establish a tribunal, I would like to express from this side of the House the sympathy of Fine Gael to all those who suffered bereavement on this very sad and tragic occasion. The disaster was of such dimensions that it was within minutes a news topic throughout the world. Certainly the focus centred on Ireland, particularly on what we would do in the immediate aftermath of this disaster. Here I would like to pay tribute to everybody concerned who did what I felt was a very good job in carrying out whatever emergency operations could be carried out at that hour. I want to pay tribute to the Minister himself. I know he has had plenty of problems on his plate in the past few months, but he responded very quickly in the aftermath of this disaster, as did all the officials of his Department. I would also pay tribute to Cork County Council, all the local organisations and local people in Bantry who responded as required. I would also thank the rescue services from other nations. They came from Britain and France and perhaps from other countries in the EEC as well.

In establishing this tribunal we must try to satisfy ourselves that the terms of reference will be adequate and sufficient to meet what we want done. It is always desirable that the terms of reference should be as wide as possible to give the necessary powers to the tribunal itself so that its findings will be both positive and finite. It is, of course, important that the tribunal should hold its hearings urgently. The word "urgent" is used in the wording of the motion, but we should not have urgency at the expense of care in the hearings and the drafting of the findings. The rest of the world will be paying attention to the findings of the tribunal and I am sure those findings will be the subject at a subsequent date of international measures. Mr. Justice Declan Costello has a very serious and onerous task on his shoulders and I wish him the very best of good luck in his duties.

It is good to see that the tribunal is being held in Bantry. This will serve two purposes. It will keep in the forefront of the public mind why the tribunal hearings are being held in Bantry. It will refresh the public's memory with regard to this disaster. It will also give the local people an opportunity to rid themselves somewhat of the traumatic feeling which they experienced.

It is to be noted that Gulf Oil, notwithstanding this tragedy, are still very much welcomed by the local people. It is important that this should be, and certainly it shows that the people of Bantry and Cork are conscious of the benefit which Gulf Oil have brought to their community. There may have been mistakes in the past with regard to not having proper safety measures and perhaps more adequate emergency measures, but there is no point in crying at this late stage, and if the report and the findings of the tribunal do result in responsibility having to lie on somebody's shoulders, then that will have to be faced up to when it does come.

The Minister has indicated that preliminary inquiries have already been held. I wonder if there are any findings resulting from the preliminary inquiries and whether they can be implemented pending the final report of the tribunal itself. We have other oil terminals in Ireland, in Dublin and in Whitegate, for instance, and if anything has come out of these preliminary findings perhaps safety measures should be implemented in both Dublin and Whitegate. Even though a disaster of this dimension happened only a couple of months ago, there is no guarantee that it will not happen elsewhere on some future occasion.

One of the tragic aspects in this whole business of oil spillages, oil explosions and disasters on the sea generally has been that notwithstanding the number of instances there have been throughout the world in the past few years, indeed over the past decade, we still seem to be unable to provide a proper safety measure system and proper and adequate emergency precautions when these disasters occur. There were a number of instances such as those involving the Torrey Canyon and the Amoco Cadiz and now this latest disaster and unfortunately it seems to lead to the conclusion that there is no guarantee that the experience of these disasters will be prevented in future. Perhaps this is the price of our being part of the modern world, particularly in regard to having oil terminals in this country, and we have to pay that price, but it behoves us to make sure that we take every precaution possible.

The tribunal being established must, of course, have at its disposal adequate resources, in regard to proper staffing and proper financing. Proper and adequate communications with the outside world throughout the hearings of the tribunal will be necessary. I am sure the Minister in his function as Minister for Posts and Telegraphs will try to make sure that the world is kept properly acquainted and informed of what the tribunal is discussing each day of the hearings. The tribunal should look into the functioning of the Bantry Harbour Board over the past five or six years. It appears that there has been certain laxity in regard to giving adequate power, or any power at all, to the Bantry Harbour Board. Whether such powers being there would have done anything to prevent this disaster is another question. If we are to have an oil terminal in Bantry it is necessary that the harbour board should be given some powers and not merely be a rubber stamp or merely seem to be a nominal authority with no functions or no real responsibilities.

During the past couple of days I have heard fishermen from Bantry saying on radio that there is still pollution in that vicinity. This is regrettable, notwithstanding the fact that dispersants were used. The fishermen in any location where there has been an oil spillage are the people who suffer most of all, because their livelihood is at stake for the future, apart from any tourist benefits or anything of that kind. I wonder if the dispersants which are used in such situations are the proper types? Perhaps we are tempted to use more dispersants than necessary, and we spoil a great deal of marine and fish life in the process. This morning we received a report from the Joint Committee on Secondary Legislation which deals with this question of marine pollution arising from the carriage of oil and there are a number of recommendations as to what the EEC would like to do. The Joint Committee spell out that it is regrettable there is no world-wide convention for organising emergency facilities and they call on the EEC itself to take the initiative in this matter and try to draw together all the existing international conventions in an effort to have some uniform procedures adopted.

If the report of the tribunal contains recommendations in regard to safety and rescue services, it is important that they should be implemented at the earliest possible date, notwithstanding what the EEC might be considering on a broader front. We must look to the safety and security of our own territory first of all, and I am confident that the Government will implement whatever recommendations come from this tribunal.

I hope that the cause of the disaster can be discovered and, if there has been negligence somewhere, that the blame will be positively directed where it lies and the negligent parties dealt with. The public are entitled to this, but more important still is that the findings of the tribunal's hearings will enable safety, emergency and rescue services in future to be implemented. The real lesson of this horrible calamity is that we must do something and there is no point in having all the international bodies which exist talking about and discussing this matter; a proper procedure must be adopted and implemented. Pollution itself knows no borders and with the great volume of oil now being carried on the sea there is no country safe from a disaster such as we experienced.

I welcome the tribunal. I hope it will come up with its findings at the earliest stage possible, but I do not want urgency at the expense of care and responsibility and positive findings.

Mícheál Cranitch

I am sure everybody here welcomes this motion. We all lament the terrible tragedy that took place at Whiddy Island in the recent past. Not alone was our own nation shocked, but the whole world was shocked. The loss of life was enormous and maybe for the first time in the history of the carriage of oil people realised the terrible dangers under present-day conditions.

I am very glad that the inquiry will be held in Bantry. It was felt by most of us that it would be held there, despite rather annoying and abrasive bouts of speculation from various people regarding the location of the inquiry. Local people in Bantry wanted the inquiry to be held there, as all reasonable people would. To my knowledge the only constraint was in regard to facilities. All that has been overcome. At this juncture I would offer the highest commendation to the Minister for the speed with which he got things moving immediately the disaster happened. Again there was much speculation which was very irritating, not alone to the local people but to the Government, Cork County Council and the various people who were interested in finding the truth and exactly what happened, how and why it happened. The responsible authorities, the Government, Cork County Council and the local people had as their objective coming at that truth and in the long term seeing that steps would be taken to prevent such disasters happening in the future. I suppose disasters will happen no matter what precautions are taken, but we are new to all this and it is a lesson for us. We learn by lessons, and steps must be taken to see that every effort will be made, not alone on our own local seas but all over the world, to prevent the recurrence of such disasters.

Senator Markey rightly referred to the report which we received this morning from the Joint Committee on the Secondary Legislation of the European Communities on Community action in regard to marine pollution arising from the carriage of oil. I have not had time to go through it, but I noted the paragraph on combating pollution which states:

The Joint Committee agrees with the Commission that whereas the solution for the overall problem must be found on an international basis, the Community should not be inhibited from taking such action as it can on its own initiative. Progress towards formulating appropriate internationally acceptable rules is necessarily a slow process and, as the Commission points out, a succession of tanker accidents and increasing marine pollution have highlighted the failure to effectively enforce the international conventions and agreements that do exist. In the Joint Committee's view it is particularly regrettable that there is no worldwide convention for organising emergency facilities to deal with major oil spills.

Now we have a further dimension to our tribunal of inquiry and it places a very onerous job on the shoulders of Mr. Justice Declan Costello and his team of experts and advisers. The findings of this inquiry will set a headline for future legislation, not only in our own State but all over the world. Certainly there is a heavy burden on them. Please God they will find out the truth in so far as it can be found out.

The Minister laments the fact that we have no survivors. We have to depend on evidence from onlookers and others. We hope that while this inquiry is being held and as news comes along there will be no exaggerated speculation or such activity by people who should be a little more sensitive to the grief that is still there and will be there for a long time among the people in the vicinity of the disaster and our friends in France. We are sometimes inclined to think that ours is the only grief. The French lost more in numbers than we did and we hope that everybody who has evidence to offer to this tribunal will come forward and give of whatever knowledge he has. The truth is the important thing at this stage. Let everybody who has evidence come along and offer it. Great as the disaster was, the speed with which the Government and all concerned have acted will, we hope, be the cause of preventing future disasters of that nature.

Mr. Moynihan

On behalf of the Labour Party I would like to welcome this motion setting up the inquiry into the Whiddy Island disaster. I should also like to be associated with the messages of sympathy to the families so tragically bereaved. The magnitude of the tragedy awakened a tremendous concern not only within our own shores but throughout the world as to the problems that can and will arise in the transportation of huge quantities of oil. While the major tragedy was the colossal loss of life, a frightening volume of pollution was caused.

All those involved, including the Minister, deserve the hightest commendation for the speed with which they demonstrated their human interest and concern. The emergency services, at very considerable hardship, were assembled at very short notice and did Trojan work despite frightening difficulties there. This was in itself a tremendous demonstration of how readily and effectively these services could be organised in the middle of the night and at short notice.

There is a frightening task of responsibility in front of this tribunal. As the Minister has said, there are no survivors and the tribunal will rely mainly on the accounts of witnesses on the island and on the mainland. I hope that the tribunal's functions are so important that neither time, money nor energy will be spared on their part in their endeavour to establish the real cause of this frightening disaster. If the causes can be established it would be of great significance not only to this country but internationally. Its functioning and findings will be watched with tremendous interest throughout the world. Undoubtedly, if it can establish the cause, regardless of where negligence may or may not lie, it would have a tremendous impact on future marine safety regulations and would make a contribution towards avoiding such disasters. I am delighted that the Minister has agreed to hold the inquiry in Bantry. This will be more convenient for all those involved and will provide for the easier assessment of all the evidence.

Mr. Jago

When it was mooted that Gulf Oil might come to Bantry it was welcomed, first by the nation because it meant an extra reserve of oil and, secondly, by the people of Bantry because they saw in it the commencement of industrial development in the area. At the time there was concern in case it would go to Scotland rather than to Bantry. During the period Gulf Oil was being built, Bantry gained by the number employed and when the building was complete, they also gained by the employment and the trade coming into the area. They succeeded in planning the operation so that the tourist industry was not affected and the oil company was able to operate in conjunction with it without spoiling the environment. When everything appeared to be happy, we suffered a series of oil spillages. Those caused concern and claims were paid. The company then brought in new procedures for dealing with oil spillages. These seemed to be effective and everything in the garden appeared to be rosy when, suddenly, out of the blue came this unanticipated disaster; the ultimate disaster resulting in loss of life. That disaster could have been far greater only for the fact that procedures had been developed, in some form, to deal with such disasters. The services came into operation immediately. We should congratulate those concerned and thank them for preventing the Bantry disaster being far greater than it actually was. It was a traumatic experience for all those living in the area.

Through the methods of dealing with pollution which went into action and through those who, in some cases, took their lives in their hands, pollution was minimised. Despite this, there has been pollution and many fishermen in the area have not been able to carry on their ordinary operations since the disaster. Unfortunately, those men have received no income. It may be that this situation could be assisted by the company or such other persons who, in the interim period, could, without prejudice, make some contribution or, possibly, it could be taken up temporarily with the Department of Social Welfare.

This inquiry is important to Bantry and I would like to congratulate the Minister on the action he took immediately following the disaster. Everything was done that should have been done and we would like to thank him. The people of Bantry are hopeful that this inquiry will be able to tell us what happened so that, in future, steps can be taken to prevent a recurrence or in fact, any disaster in that area and Gulf Oil can continue. The people of Bantry look forward to an oil refinery and a spin-off industry. This is their hope. The result of the inquiry is important to them and to other people, as Senator Moynihan has mentioned. The people in Whitegate are concerned, the people in Dublin are concerned, and no doubt, people throughout the world are concerned because this is an international affair. We look forward to the inquiry and hope that everyone who can assist it will do so, so that, not alone can the reasons come out into the open but it will be possible to take action, to enact legislation if necessary, to make the industry safe for the future.

I would like to thank the Minister for acceding to the request of the people of Bantry to hold the inquiry there. I welcome this.

Mr. Mulcahy

I add my sentiments to those already expressed by the Minister and Senators. As the Minister said, the intention of the inquiry might be summarised by saying that we owe it as a duty to the victims to inquire into what happened. We must learn something from it. That is what came home to me. We may have learned a few lessons already before the inquiry has actually been held.

Yesterday, in the public meeting of the Joint Committee on the Secondary Legislation of the European Communities a report was examined which covered the regulations and procedures to be followed in the control and manning of shipping with particular emphasis on the EEC role. Like so many other reports that this Committee prepare, it will probably not get very much attention from the media. We learned something from examining these proposed directives and regulations from the EEC. One of the things that I learned while participating in the discussion on this report was that Ireland as a maritime nation, as an island, is wide open to problems that arise from badly managed processes involving shipping and storage on the coastline of oil, chemicals or any other potentially dangerous substances. Some of the problems that are heralded in that report are, for instance, the extension of the territorial waters. It is difficult to control waters nearby but it is going to be even more difficult as our jurisdiction extends.

We are a non-technology-orientated society and this has come from our educational system. What I am afraid of is that the technologists in our society do not have sufficient power in our administrative system and some of the procedures and systems of protection may not get the full consideration they should get. For instance, it came out in the report we examined yesterday that the technology for the protection of potentially explosive situations is not fully developed even internationally, not to mind in this country. The lesson I would derive from that is that we should not wait until other countries develop these things. We should put them in hands ourselves. We should make sure that money is made available for the Institute of Industrial Research and Standards and other such bodies to do the work that is required. Prevention is better than cure. It is very satisfying to be able to commend all those who took action following the disaster. What I would like to make sure is that, in future, we would take action before the disaster.

I would advocate a greater role for technologists in the administration of this State, as happens in other countries. I am not saying that lack of this contributed to what happened. It struck me, looking through the EEC report, that the technology was deficient internationally. In a situation where we are so exposed, I hope that we will ensure that money spent on technology and on paying technologists would add to the probability that we have covered all the possible avenues of error.

I am haunted at times when I think of the passage of highly dangerous chemicals through the built-up areas of Dublin. It was raised on the "Late Late Show" last Saturday night——

An Cathaoirleach

Perhaps the Senator would keep more to the motion.

Mr. Mulcahy

I am talking about the lessons that can be learned from a tragedy of this kind and, if that is not relevant, I cannot understand it. The lessons that can be learned are about the non-use of technology and the focus of the role of technologists in the administration——

An Cathaoirleach

The Senator mentioned the transport of goods through Dublin and that does not arise on this.

Mr. Mulcahy

I hope, if anything should happen, it will be remembered that I raised it.

Professor Conroy

I join in expressing sympathy for the relatives of the people concerned in this dreadful disaster. I want to congratulate the Minister for the very determined effort which has obviously been made to investigate this matter.

There are two small points which I should like to mention in connection with the general principle of setting up tribunals of inquiry. One is the very unusual international aspect of this inquiry. I am delighted to see that the Minister has very clearly taken this into account in the manner in which he has already started his investigations and in which he proposes to enable the tribunal to continue its investigations. The circumstances surrounding this disaster may well have originated where it happened but they could also have originated far outside our jurisdiction. It is essential that this possibility be thoroughly investigated and I am sure with the Minister's determination, it will be. Part 2 of the motion states:

making such recommendations (if any) as the Tribunal, having regard to its findings, thinks proper.

There are, tragically, no survivors of the immediate disaster and it may well be, as the Minister suggested, that we will never know the full facts of what exactly happened. This situation is analogous to aircraft disasters. There is now an international regulation whereby aircraft must carry a recording device which is virtually impervious to impact and fire. I cannot help thinking that a safety device which should be incorporated in such circumstances as these is the black box recording device which would monitor essential conversations and happenings in crucial safety areas. I would recommend this. I am sure the Minister probably already has it very much in mind. I hope that it will be considered by the tribunal under part 2.

Minister for Tourism and Transport (Mr. Faulkner)

I thank Senators for the very constructive manner in which they have dealt with this motion. I have no doubt that they are all very anxious that we should discover, in so far as it is possible to do so, the truth of what happened at Bantry. I feel, from the various remarks made by Senators, they are satisfied that the tribunal of inquiry which we are now setting up has the necessary wide-ranging scope to enable it to make the best possible effort to discover the truth of what happened.

I appreciate the opening remarks of Senator Markey and those of the other Senators. They commended the work done by the various bodies who were involved in the arduous tasks both at the time of the explosion and subsequent to it. The only word I can use to describe the co-operation which existed between all of the parties involved is "magnificent". Senator Markey referred to the preliminary inquiry. I expect to have a report of the preliminary inquiry very soon. Senators will appreciate that the main purpose of a preliminary inquiry into a shipping casualty in the normal case is to advise me, as the responsible Minister, on whether a public inquiry is necessary. In this case, because of the nature of the disaster, I decided at a very early stage to have a public inquiry, so the report of the preliminary inquiry will have less significance than it might have in another case. I assure the Senators that the statements and evidence collected by the officer holding the preliminary inquiry and his report will be made available to the tribunal.

With regard to communications with Bantry, I would like to put on record that the communications system worked exceptionally well in the period immediately after the disaster. The Seanad can be assured that all the facilities necessary to ensure the highest standards of communications will be provided at the inquiry, for those attending and interested in it. We will make special facilities available to Bantry for this purpose.

Some Senators referred to the anti-pollution operations. These were carried out efficiently and thoroughly. They were closely supervised by the Government Departments concerned and by Cork County Council through the control centre we had set up at Bantry. The use of dispersants was strictly controlled and I am advised that the threat to fisheries and wildlife was kept to a minimum. I understand that the use of low-flying aircraft to spray the dispersant worked effectively. This was a unique feature of the anti-pollution operations at Bantry and I am informed that it has considerable advantages over spraying from boats.

I should like to thank Senators for their approach to this. In their approach to the inquiry the Government gave the most detailed consideration to matters relating to its scope and effectiveness. The legislation governing the holding of tribunals of inquiry has been amended to provide the tribunal with the necessary statutory powers to perform its functions. We are now arming it with terms of reference which are of sufficient scope and precision so as to leave no doubt in anybody's mind of the determination of the Government to seek the truth of this terrible disaster. From the beginning, the Government have been acutely aware of their obligations in that regard to those who died, to those who were bereaved and to those who will continue to work on tankers and at oil terminals.

Question put and agreed to.