§ Dr. GibsonTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has for statutory regulation of the offshore oil and gas industry's discharges. [32650]
§ Mr. Battle[holding answer 5 March 1998]: Operational discharges of oil are currently regulated under the Prevention of Oil Pollution Act 1971.
The United Kingdom has agreed to implement, in conjunction with other contracting parties to the Oslo and Paris Conventions, a harmonised Mandatory Control System for the use and reduction of the discharge of offshore chemicals. The system is currently in a trial period and will be reviewed and, if necessary, revised in 1999.
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§ Dr. GibsonTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the current voluntary Offsore Chemicals Notification Scheme. [32389]
§ Mr. Battle[holding answer 5 March 1998]: The current voluntary Offshore Chemical Notification Scheme has been very successful. Over 2,600 products are categorised and listed. The rating system used in the scheme is easily understood and has promoted the use of lower hazard chemicals by the offshore industry.