§ Sir Bernard Braineasked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what steps he is taking to ensure that the high standards of risk assessment by the major hazard group of the Health and Safety Executive at Flixborough are also applied at Canvey Island, where the actual amount of liquefied gas in storage is far greater than proposed at Flixborough and is close to a far larger population;
(2) why the Health and Safety Executive, having refused permission for the installation of liquefied petroleum gas storage with a capacity of 1,200 tons at the Nypro plant at Flixborough close to two villages, is permitting continued storage of 10 times that amount close to a very much larger population at Canvey Island and envisages its reduction to only 3,000 tons; and whether he will now direct that the British Gas Corporation ceases its operations there as soon as possible;
(3) from international sources available to him, what is the recommended distance of new liquefied energy terminals from populated areas under the laws of the 658W state of California and the Netherlands; and what decisions have been made and what research is being undertaken in the United Kingdom regarding the safe distance of liquefied gas terminals of other liquefied gas storage from populated areas in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. John GrantI am satisfied that in general the same methods of risk assessment are used by the Health and Safety Executive in reaching conclusions about the safety of workers and the public, either for purposes of advising planning authorities about proposed new developments or for purposes of determining what enforcement action might be appropriate in relation to existing installations and activities. Different circumstances may, of course, necessitate different action.
In the case of Canvey, however, a distinct and special, quantified assessment of risk was undertaken for purposes of producing the Health and Safety Executive's report. As the hon. Member knows, Ministers have been asked to review the situation in the light of that report and it would be inappropriate for me to comment further until we have completed our consideration of the matter.
Information about current legislation relating to liquefied energy terminals in the state of California and the Netherlands and about research into the behaviour of liquefied gases, which might have a bearing on the question of the siting of such terminals, is being assembled and will be sent to the hon. Member as soon as possible.