§ Sir Bernard Braineasked the Prime Minister which Department will be responsible for co-ordinating the form and timing of safety requirements to existing installations on Canvey Island recently recommended by the Health and Safety Executive, planning applications from hazardous industries both pending and proposed, discussions with the relevant authorities about excessive concentrations of gas, chemical and oil storage in the area, and the drawing up of emergency plans for the residents in the event of a disaster, including the provision of an extra road link with the mainland.
§ The Prime MinisterThe Health and Safety Executive itself will be responsible for taking action to secure the improvements to plant, equipment and methods of operation at the existing installations on Canvey Island referred to in the report. Planning applications are a matter for either the appropriate local planning authority or the Secretary of State for the Environment, who will in all cases take the conclusions and recommendations in the report into account and be ready to 39W approach the Health and Safety Executive for additional advice on the implications of any proposed development arising from concentrations of gas, chemical and oil storage in the area. Responsibility for initiating action in relation to emergency planning and the question of an additional road falls in the first place to the Essex County Council as the emergency planning and highway authority, and, here again, it should seek the advice of the Health and Safety Executive.