§ 18. Mr. Douglasasked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on the extent and nature of consultation he has had with interested parties, particularly trade unions, on the recommendations of the Burgoyne report on offshore safety.
§ Mr. GrayMy officials are already consulting interested parties on particular technical recommendations made by Dr. Burgoyne's committee, and I anticipate that my Department may receive representations from a number of organisations on the recommendations to supplement those already made to the committee itself and which are contained in its report. The matter has recently been discussed at one of my regular meetings with the24W Inter Union Offshore Oil Committee. In considering the action to be taken on the various recommendations the Government will take any further views expressed on these matters fully into account.
§ 23. Mr. Adleyasked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on the safety of North Sea oil rigs.
§ Mr. GrayI believe that every reasonable step is being taken in the light of current knowledge to ensure the safety of offshore oil installations operating on the United Kingdom continental shelf.
Installations are subject to stringent regulations in respect of their strength and stability and must have a certificate of fitness from one of six certifying authorities before they may operate.
The industry now has 15 years' experience in the hostile North Sea environment and no lives have been lost due to collapse or sinking of an installation on the United Kingdom shelf since 13 men died in the " Sea Gem " accident in 1965. Nevertheless, events such as the recent tragic loss of the " Alexander Keilland " continually remind us that there is no room for complacency and every attempt will be made to incorporate the lessons learned from this incident into future United Kingdom policies.