§ Mr. DoranTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy what instructions or guidance his Department has given with regard to the construction of accommodation modules on oil and gas installations, and in particular with regard to the materials with which these modules are constructed; when these instructions or guidelines were issued; and if they were made retroactive.
§ Mr. Peter MorrisonGuidance is issued to the offshore industry generally, through a number of documents which my department publishes. These include "Offshore Installations: Guidance on design and construction" (published in 1984), "Offshore Installations: Guidance on fire fighting equipment" (published in 1980) and "Offshore Installations: Guidance on life saving appliances" (published in 1978).
Amendments to, and new editions of, guidance documents are not intended to apply automatically to installations which have a certificate of fitness. However, operators are advised to design all new constructions and to carry out alterations and repairs in accordance with the latest guidance; and, if there are any overriding safety requirements, operators are advised to apply the new guidance to existing offshore installations immediately.
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§ Mr. DoranTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy what instructions or guidance he has given to the operators of oil and gas installations concerning the location of emergency shut-off valves on pipelines to and from oil and gas installations; when these instructions or guidelines were issued; and if they were made retroactive.
§ Mr. Peter MorrisonOperators of oil and gas installations receive guidance from the Department of514W Energy through its "Submarine Pipelines Guidance Notes", which were last published in October 1984. These require that the pipeline should be equipped with an emergency shut-down system with shut-down valves positioned to ensure that as much of the pipeline as possible may be isolated in an emergency. Guidance is not made retroactive.