HC Deb 25 October 1994 vol 248 cc558-62W
Mr. Ainger

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the organisations his Department has consulted concerning the 16th round of offshore licensing, giving dates of any meetings with environmental organisations.

Mr. Charles Wardle

[holding answer 24 October 1994]: Listed are the organisations which my Department has consulted over the 16th round. Those environmental organisations which officials have met are indicated on the list.

In addition, officials are arranging a joint meeting later this month with all other environmental groups who have requested a meeting or have provided substantive comments on the 16th round.

ORGANISATIONS CONSULTED OVER THE 16TH ROUND OF OIL AND GAS LICENSING Other Government Departments:

  • Crown Estate
  • Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland
  • Department of Economic Development (Northern Ireland)
  • Department of the Environment (Northern Ireland)
  • Department of the Environment
  • Department of Transport
  • Foreign and Commonwealth Office
  • Health and Safety Inspectorate
  • H M Inspectorate of Mines
  • H M Treasury
  • Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
  • Ministry of Defence
  • The Scottish Office Agriculture and Fisheries Department
  • The Scottish Office Industry Department
  • The Welsh Office
Environmental organisations and groups:
  • Countryside Commission
  • Dyfed Wildlife Trust
Friends of Cardigan Bay (meeting held on 4 August 1994)
  • Friends of the Earth Cymru
  • Greenpeace
  • Joint Countryside Advisory Service
Joint Nature Conservation Committee (meeting held on 21 October 1994)
  • who in turn consult—
    • English Nature (meeting held on 21 October 1994)
    • Countryside Council for Wales (meeting held on 21 October 1994)
    • Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (meeting held on 21 October 1994)
  • Scottish Natural Heritage
  • Sea Mammal Research Unit
  • Narberth Friends of the Earth
The National Trust (meeting held on 26 August 1994
  • RSNC Wildlife Trusts Partnership
  • Strangford Lough Management Committee
  • The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust
  • Wildlife and Countryside Link
  • World Wide Fund For Nature
Local groups:
  • Cardigan bay Forum
  • Dyfed Joint Liaison Group
  • Gwynedd Standing Conference
  • North Wales Coastal Forum
  • Irish Sea Forum
  • Offshore Minerals Forum - East Coast Authorities
  • Standing Conference on Oil and Gas Exploration in the English Channel
Local authorities - England:
  • Avon County Council
  • Cheshire County Council
  • Cleveland County Council
  • Cornwall County Council
  • Cumbria County Council
  • Devon County Council
  • Dorset County Council
  • Durham County Council
  • East Sussex County Council
  • Essex County Council
  • Humberside County Council
  • Isle of Wight County Council
  • Kent County Council
  • Lancashire County Council
  • Lincolnshire County Council
  • Merseyside County Council
  • Norfolk County Council
  • Northumberland County Council
  • North Yorkshire County Council
  • Sefton Borough Council
  • Somerset County Council
  • Suffolk County Council
  • Tyne and Wear County Council
  • West Sussex County Council
Local authorities - Wales:
  • Clwyd County Council
  • Dyfed County Council
  • Gwent County Council
  • Gwynedd County Council
  • Mid Glamorgan County Council
  • Pembrokeshire District Council
  • South Glamorgan County Council
  • West Glamorgan County Council
Local Authorities - Northern Ireland:
  • Antrim Borough Council
  • Ards Borough Council
  • Carrickfergus Borough Council
  • Down Borough Council
  • Newry and Mourne District Council
Local authorities - Scotland
  • Borders Regional Council
  • Dumfries and Galloway Regional Council
  • Fife Regional Council
  • Grampian Regional Council
  • Highland Regional Council
  • Lothian Regional Council
  • Orkney Islands Council
  • Shetland Regional Council
  • Strathclyde Regional Council
  • Tayside Regional Council
  • Western Isles Regional Council
Fishermen's federations and organisations:
  • Association of Scotland Shellfish Growers
  • The Association of Sea Fisheries Committees of England and Wales
  • Firth of Forth Fishermen's Association
  • Federation of Highlands and Islands Fishermen
  • Highlands and Islands Fishermen's Association
  • National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations
  • Orkney Fisheries Association
  • The Northern Ireland Fish Producers' Organisation Ltd
  • Scottish Fishermen's Federation
  • Southern Seas Fisheries District Fishermen's Council
  • Ullerpool Boat Owners Association
Other Organisations
  • British Aerospace Defence Ltd
  • British Coal Corporation
  • British Telecommunication plc
  • Cleveland Potash Limited
  • Isle of Man Government Offices
  • Mercury Communications Limited

Mr. Ainger

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on how his Department applies the Government's commitment to the precautionary principle contained in "Sustainable Development; The United Kingdom Strategy", paragraph 3.12 to licensing oil exploration, especially in environmentally sensitive areas.

Mr. Charles Wardle

[holding answer 24 October 1994]: A central concern for United Kingdom policy with regard to sustainable development, will be to reconcile the demand for energy with the need to reduce the impact of its exploitation, generation and use on the environment. However, these concerns are not incompatible with the continued need for hydrocarbon exploration around the United Kingdom coast. The Government will apply the precautionary principle where there is a threat of serious or irreversible damage to the environment. There is no evidence to suggest that oil and gas exploration activity poses such a threat.

Mr. Ainger

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list all the environmental organisations which have made representations to him either individually or in consortia, concerning the 16th round of offshore licensing; which organisations urged a complete suspension of the round; and which urged suspension in specific areas or blocks.

Mr. Charles Wardle

[holding answer 24 October 1994]: Listed are the environmental organisations which have made representations to my Department concerning the 16th round. None of these has urged the complete suspension of the round. The organisations which have urged suspension of specific areas or blocks have been indicated on the list. ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANISATIONS WHO HAVE MADE REPRESENTATIONS TO DTI OVER THE 16m ROUND.

  • Countryside Commission
  • Cumbria Wildlife Trust (i)
  • Devon Wildlife Trust (i)
  • Dorset Trust for Nature Conservation (i)
  • Dyfed Wildlife Trust (i)
  • Friends of Cardigan Bay (i)
  • Friends of the Earth Cymru (i)
  • Greenpeace (i)
  • Joint Countryside Advisory Service
  • Joint Nature Conservation Committee (i) — co-ordination of the view of —
    • Countryside Council for Wales
    • English Nature
    • Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
    • Scottish Natural Heritage
    • Sea Mammals Research Unit
  • The National Trust
  • North Wales Wildlife Trust (i)
  • North Yorkshire Moors National Park (i)
  • Strangford Lough Management Committee (i)
  • The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (i)
  • Wildlife and Countryside Link (i)—representation made on behalf of the following organisations (some of which have replied separately)—
    • Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales
    • Environment Investigation Agency
    • Friends of the Earth
    • Friends of the Earth Cymru
    • Friends of Cardigan Bay
    • Greenpeace
    • Marine Conservation Society
    • Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
    • Royal Society for the protection of Birds
    • The Wildlife Trusts
    • Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society
    • World Wide Fund for Nature
  • Wildlife Trusts (Royal Society for Nature Conservation) (i)
  • World Wide Fund for Nature (i)
(i) Organisations who have urged suspension of specific blocks or areas.