HC Deb 01 August 1978 vol 955 cc216-7W
Sir Bernard Braine

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether, in the light of the Flixborough disaster experience, pipes buried in the ground were fractured in addition to above-ground damage, he will direct the Health and Safety Executive to make a special study of the pipe systems on the oil refinery sites on Canvey Island for which planning permission has been given.

Mr. John Grant

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 31st July 1978], gave the following information:

The chairman of the Health and Safety Commission informs me that the consequences of the rupture of pipes of differing diameters carrying liquefied petroleum gases under pressure within refineries were studied in the course of the recently concluded investigation. The report of the investigation gives details of these studies and of studies of the hazards of the pipelines carrying hydrocarbons that traverse parts of the area. In view of this I do not think that a further study of the pipe systems on the refinery sites is needed.

Sir Bernard Braine

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether, in view of the Health and Safety Executive's admission in its recent report on the safety of the people living in and around Canvey Island that they did not have time to look closely at the risks posed by ammonia-carrying ships, he will, as a matter of urgency, direct that they attend to this matter at once.

Mr. John Grant

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 31st July 1978], gave the following information:

The chairman of the Health and Safety Commission informs me that the risks posed by ammonia-carrying ships were given close attention in the investigation to which the hon. Member refers, although, as stated in the report, time did not permit as detailed a study of the design of these ships as was carried out for LNG-carrying ships. Further inquiries into this topic are anticipated but the Health and Safety Executive is satisfied that, because of the assumptions that were made for purposes of the report, these inquiries are unlikely to show that the hazards are greater than at present estimated.

Sir Bernard Braine

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will request the Health and Safety Executive to explain why it considers the cracking of the earth around liquefied gas storage pits on Canvey Island by spreading permafrost not be a major hazard, yet have recommended some temporary evacuation of local residents as prudent; and if he will now, as a matter of urgency order an inquiry to be made into the behaviour of permafrost at the British Gas Corporation's storage installation on Canvey Island.

Mr. John Grant

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 31st July 1978], gave the following information:

The chairman of the Health and Safety Commission informs me that in its report the investigating team discuss a postulated incident in which increased vaporisation of natural gas from the in-ground storage tanks into the installed vapour collecting system might arise as a result of a loss of integrity of the ice walls. It concluded that such an event was possible but that it would develop slowly and some temporary evacuation of local residents might be prudent while countermeasures were taken. The characteristics and behaviour of these tanks were studied closely in the course of the recent investigation and the results were given in the report published on 20th June 1978. There is no justification for any further inquiry.