§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Secretary of State for Energy (1) in view of the increasing danger of accidents to fishing vessels caused by debris arising from oil developments, what proposals he has for stricter controls on the disposal of debris and waste from oil rigs, platforms and associated transport and development work;
(2) whether he will set up a compensation fund based on a levy on output from North Sea oil to compensate fishing vessels damaged or delayed by debris arising from North Sea oil work; and if he will make a statement;
(3) what arrangements are currently in force to compensate fishing vessels from damage caused by debris arising from North Sea oil development;
(4) whether, in the light of the danger to fishing vessels from debris arising from North Sea oil development, he has any proposals for compulsory identification of all material used in North Sea oil work in order to allocate responsibility for accidents.
§ Dr. MabonMy Department has drawn the attention of all operators to the hazards caused to shipping by the loss or dumping of debris from off-shore operations and they are requested to take special precautions to prevent such losses and to ensure that all such wastes are disposed of ashore. The oil companies have made strenuous efforts to educate their employees in the correct disposal of waste and this appears to have stabilised and possibly improved the situation during a period of increased offshore activity.
The question of compensation for damage due to oil related debris is largely one for the two industries and as appropriate their insurers. However, I understand that the voluntary industry financed compensation arrangements that have developed under the aegis of the Fisheries and Offshore Oil Consultative Group (FOOCG) are acknowledged to have been of material benefit in alleviating 590W hardship. Damage to vessels is covered if the incident is attributable to the activities of a particular operator, but those for unattributable incidents only extend to compensation for damage to gear and for lost time. The practicalities of marking items sent offshore to assist in the allocation of responsibility in debris incidents has and is still being considerd in FOOCG. This could however be a large and costly task and the evidence is that it would only be of assistance with a small minority of claims.