§ Mr. DobsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy whether his Department carried out its own research into the fire and explosion on Piper Alpha on 24 March 1984.
§ Mr. WakehamThe Department carried out its own investigation into this dangerous occurrence, making use of all available information.
§ Mr. DobsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy why his Department did not seek to institute legal proceedings following the explosion and fire in the gas conservation module on Piper Alpha on 24 March 1984.
§ Mr. WakehamSuccessful prosecutions require a significant commitment of resources, on the part of the relevant legal authorities as well as the Department. Prosecution is therefore a sanction to be applied with discretion, with regard to the likelihood of successful action and with regard to the value of the prosecution. The Department's approach to these issues was developed in collaboration with the procurator fiscal, who would alone be responsible for any decision to initiate proceedings. The dangerous occurrence on Piper Alpha on 24 March 1984 was ascribed to a design fault, probably attributable to the work of non-United Kingdom resident bodies. Also, prompt corrective action had voluntarily been taken by the operator, Occidental. In all the circumstances, the view was taken that a prosecution would have been uncertain, expensive and of little benefit.
§ Mr. DobsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy what aspects of safety on Piper Alpha were covered in his Department's inspection of(a) February and (b) March 1984.
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§ Mr. WakehamThe inspection of the installation on 21 February 1984 was a standard inspection of the installation, covering the normal range of operational activities. The visit by inspectors on 25 and 26 March 1984 was an investigation of the explosion in the gas compression module on 24 March.