Hon Speaker and hon members, let me mention upfront that we as Cope are fully in support of the Bill. Comprehensive oil spill liability and compensation fund legislation would have become a reality for this country a long time ago if South Africa had not been the pariah of the world for so many years. Compromises required to remove the principal impediment of the pre-emption of state oil spill liability law from the current legislation were being used. The most realistic compromise at this date is to ensure that the State Oil Spill Fund and the their taxing authorities and State Oil Spill Liability Law will not be pre-empted.