§ Mr. GardinerTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many British Gas employees were qualified to purge and relight domestic premises affected by a major gas supply failure in 1994. [91408]
§ Mr. Nicholas BrownI have been asked to reply.
I am advised by the Health and Safety Executive that this information is not available.
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§ Mr. GardinerTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many Transco employees are qualified to purge and relight domestic premises affected by a major gas supply failure. [91409]
§ Mr. Nicholas BrownI have been asked to reply.
I have been advised by the Health and Safety Executive that on 16 January 2003, Transco's statutory registration by the Council for Registered Gas Installers (CORGI) covered work by 2,707 emergency service operatives holding valid certificates of competence under one of the three recognised assessment schemes: the Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) scheme; the Nationally Accredited Certification Scheme (ACS); and the aligned National Vocational Qualification.
Transco is also able to contract other CORGI-registered installers if additional resource is considered necessary due to the scale of the failure.
§ Mr. GardinerTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what tests her Department has conducted to establish the capacity of Transco to respond to a major gas supply failure without requiring the closure of power stations. [91410]
§ Mr. Nicholas BrownI have been asked to reply.
The Department has carried out no such tests. However, I am advised by the Health and Safety Executive that Transco, in its capacity as the national Network Emergency Co-ordinator, has duties to test its arrangements for responding to a major gas supply failure and minimising its effects. Arrangements are also in place for activating a Government/industry Joint Response Team to co-ordinate action should a major supply failure occur, and these arrangements are periodically tested by means of joint exercises.
§ Mr. GardinerTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what capacity Transco(a) is required by regulation to maintain and (b) has to purge and relight domestic premises affected by a major gas supply failure. [91411]
§ Mr. Nicholas BrownI have been asked to reply.
The Gas Safety (Management) Regulations 1996 (GSMR) require Transco as a gas conveyor to prepare a safety case which (a) demonstrates how it will minimise the risk of a gas supply emergency; and (b) gives particulars of the procedures it has established to restore safely the gas supply to consumers, should a supply failure occur.
§ Mr. GardinerTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what contracts are in place between Transco and other companies to supply suitably qualified engineers to purge and relight domestic premises affected by a major gas supply failure. [91412]
§ Mr. Nicholas BrownI have been asked to reply.
This commercial information is not available. The requirement of Schedule 1 of paragraph 21 of the Gas Safety (Management) Regulations 1996 (GSMR) is for Transco as a gas conveyor to describe the particulars of the procedures that it has established to restore safely the gas supply to consumers following an interruption of supply.