§ 30. Mr. McAllionTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy what steps he proposes to take to improve safety in the offshore oil and gas industry.
§ Mr. Parkinson[pursuant to his reply, 20 March 1989, c. 412]: I have today laid before each House the Offshore Installations (Emergency Pipe-line Valve) Regulations 1989.
Prior to the making of these regulations extensive consultations were carried out with organisations representing those persons within the offshore industry likely to be affected by them, including employers and the trade unions. They have been made on the advice of the Health and Safety Commission under the Mineral Workings (Offshore Installations) Act 1971. The regulations require emergency shutdown valves to be fitted on pipe-line risers serving offshore installations together with the periodic inspection and testing of these valves and their control systems. In addition an Order in Council was made on 13 June which has the effect of including these valves in the certification process of the installation.
These regulations represent an important step forward in securing improvements in the safety of offshore pipeline systems. I shall in due course be laying further regulations to deal with subsea isolation systems.