§ Mr. DafisTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans the Government have to assess the cumulative impact of oil developments in the Atlantic Frontier on the breeding, feeding and migration of whales and dolphins in the area. [63054]
§ Mr. BattleI understand from the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC—the Government's statutory advisers on environment matters) that there is no evidence of petroleum developments in the Atlantic Frontier or any other part of the UK Continental Shelf having had any impact on marine mammals. Nevertheless, the Offshore Petroleum Production and Pipe-lines (Assessment of Environmental Effects) Regulations 1998 require that the cumulative impact of any relevant project on the UKCS should be assessed before any decision about the granting of consent for that project is taken.