§ Mr. Buchananasked the Secretary of State for Energy what progress has been made towards improving the fire-protection of offshore gas installations.
§ Mr. BennSixty-nine oil and gas installations on the United Kingdom Continental Shelf have received certificates of fitness under the Offshore Installations (Construction and Survey) Regulations 1974 which came into force on 31st524W August 1975. Of these, 25 are gas production platforms for which on the recommendation of the certifying authority concerned I granted short-term exemptions expiring on 30th November 1975 in respect of their decks and/or living accommodation which did not meet the requirement that they be made of incombustible material.
Under the terms of the exemption the fire-fighting arrangements on each of those 25 installations had been surveyed to assess the adequacy of active fire protection facilities and to determine what modifications installation owners should make to improve the level of safety of the installations. On the basis of these surveys, my Department will be requiring the installation owners to make the necessary modification, issue fuller instructions on fire fighting and ensure that personnel with fire fighting training are on board at all times.
I have, therefore approved the extension of the exemptions for those 22 platforms to 31st August 1976 to give the owners of the installations time to agree the necessary programme of work with their certifying authority and to carry it out in an orderly manner. Existing arrangements on the remaining three installations have been found to be adequate, and certificates of fitness are being issued for those.