§ Mr. McElhoneasked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the present position concerning the appointments of certifying authorities for the certification of offshore installations; and whether any consulting engineer will be appointed.
§ Mr. VarleyI am appointing the following five bodies: Lloyds Register of Shipping, American Bureau of Shipping, Bureau Veritas, Det Norske Veritas and Germanischer Lloyd. These societies have been selected on the basis of their expertise and international reputation. In reaching this decision account has been taken of the contribution that consulting engineers can make in association with these authorities. At the same time my Department is carefully considering whether a limited number of further appointments should be made for fixed gravity structures in view of the trend towards their greater use and will particu-522W larly consider appointing consulting engineers for this type of work.