§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what permissions have been given to Shell Petroleum to dispose of the terminal Brent Spar in deep water; and what assessment has been made of the ultimate destination of arsenic, cadmium and other dangerous substances. [22658]
§ Sir Hector MonroThe Scottish Office has issued a licence under the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 and an authorisation under the Radioactive Substances Act 1993 to allow disposal of the Brent Spar buoy, stripped of detachable equipment, at sea in accordance with the abandonment programme approved by the President of the Board of Trade. In line with our obligations under international conventions, a thorough survey was undertaken to identify the deep-sea disposal site in the north Atlantic to deposit the Spar at a depth in excess of 2,000 m and beyond the reach of fishing activity. Detailed assessments have been made of the likely impact on the environment of this disposal method, including what contaminants remain in the Brent Spar. It has been concluded that any effects of these contaminants on the marine environment will be negligible.