Written question asked by Chris Ruane (Labour) on Wednesday, 16 February 2011, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 28 February 2011. It was answered by Lord Benyon (Conservative) on Monday, 28 February 2011 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Seas and Oceans: Environment Protection

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department has undertaken any research on the effects of tributyl tin from the hulls of ships on the marine environment in the Irish Sea since 2003.

Answer: The Centre for Environment, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), together with colleagues in the Department of the Environment in Northern Ireland, and the Fisheries Research Services in Scotland, have carried out studies on the effects of tributyl tin (TBT) on dogwhelks in the seas around the UK, including the Irish sea. The results, based on surveys in 2004 and 2007, show that effects on reproduction (imposex) have continued to reduce compared with the results of earlier surveys. A further survey was started in 2010, but the results are not yet available.

Secondary information