HC Deb 08 March 1993 vol 220 cc401-2W
Mr. David Porter

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will undertake a survey of all offices and agencies for which he has responsibility to ascertain to what extent staff supplying a service to the public are curtailing their work on a Friday afternoon earlier than other days of the week; and if he will make a statement on his policy on hours of staff working each week.

Mr. Eggar

My Department places a high priority on the service it offers to the public. Staff work a five-day

1987 1988 1989 1990 1991
(a) Total reported spills from all sources 500 559 764 791 705
(b) Spills from offshore installation. 254 259 291 345 234
(c) Line (b) as a percentage of line (a) 50.8 46.3 38.1 43.6 33.2

In 1991 the 234 spills from offshore installations totalled 192 tonnes of oil. Within the 471 spills from other sources reported by ACOPS, the 34 largest totalled 1,864.4 tonnes and there were 275 for which the amount spilt was not known or not recorded.

1 Development of the Oil and Gas Resources of the United Kingdom: A Report to Parliament by the Minister of Energy.

Mr. Ainger

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is his best estimate of the amount of oil discharged in oil-based drilling mud into the environment from offshore drilling rigs in the United Kingdom sector in each of the last five years.

Mr. Eggar

The discharge of oil-based drilling mud into the environment from offshore drilling rigs in the United Kingdom sector of the North sea is not permitted.

Discharge of oil-contaminated cuttings produced when using oil-based drilling mud may be permitted under an exemption, granted by the Secretary of State, from section 3 of the Prevention of Oil Pollution Act 1971.

The Government publish annually in the "Brown Book", "Development of the Oil and Gas Resources of the

week and local managers are required to make suitable arrangements to ensure that the public are properly served. The attendance requirements in each office apply on Fridays as on any other day and no special provision whatsoever is made for it to be treated any differently.

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