§ Mr. Gordon Wilsonasked the Secretary of State for Energy what discussions have been held with the Norwegian Government regarding the adequacy of the present regulations, procedures and practice for checking of anti-blowout preventer drills and equipment, particularly in relation to the dangers of corrosion manifested in the recent Ekofisk occurrence.
§ Mr. BennOfficials of the Petroleum Engineering Directorate have regular contact with officials of the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate concerning all aspects of safe drilling operations in the North Sea. Such discussions have taken place for several years and have proved of mutual benefit to both organisations. With regard to the Ekofisk incident, full information has been received from the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate on this occurrence and a full report has been promised when it is issued by the Directorate.
§ Mr. Gordon Wilsonasked the Secretary of State for Energy how many Government safety inspectors are employed in checking equipment and safety procedures on drilling rigs, production platforms and laying and lifting barges; how many visits were made to each such installation or vessel in 1975; and whether there have been any changes in average time spent on inspections in the last year.
§ Mr. BennThere are now nine inspectors of the Department of Energy who spend most of their time visiting drilling and production installations on the United Kingdom Continental Shelf. Nine 553W more are also involved in other aspects of safety and control and visit these installations when required. During 1975, 166 visits were made for inspection purposes. This equates to an average of between two and three visits a year to each installation. There has been no change in the average time spent on inspections in the last year, a typical inspection taking between three and five hours.
§ Mr. Gordon Wilsonasked the Secretary of State for Energy on how many occasions in 1975 he or his oil agencies have engaged consultant engineers to gauge the suitability of platforms or their sites; and how many consultants were employed from firms based predominantly in Scotland and England, respectively.
§ Mr. BennConsulting engineers were employed on three occasions last year in connection with platforms or platform sites. Four firms were involved, three based in London and one in Glasgow.