§ Mr. Stephen Rossasked the Secretary of State for Energy what procedures are followed when licensees wish to drill for oil close inshore.
§ Mr. Buchanan-SmithBefore drilling operations may begin close inshore consent must be received from the Department of Transport under the Coast Protection Act 1949.
Under the terms of his licence, a licensee must receive approval for the drilling programme and a consent to drill from the Department of Energy. A licensee must also receive approval for an oil spill contingency plan for the particular location from the Department of Energy in consultation with the marine pollution control unit of the Department of Transport.
For blocks close inshore (which were defined for the seventh and eighth rounds of licensing as being wholly or partly within 25 miles of the coast), the oil spill contingency plan contains certain essential elements which specify the resources to be provided and consultations which must be undertaken before the plan is approved. These consultations must include the local authorities, the Nature Conservancy Council, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food or the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland, as appropriate.
It is incumbent upon a licensee not to carry out his operations in such a manner as to interfere unjustifiably with navigation, fishing or with the conservation of living resources of the sea.
The Secretary of State may establish a safety zone of 500 metres radius around an installation undertaking drilling operations into which unauthorised shipping may not enter.