§ Mr. LlwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many underground storage tanks are considered to be at risk of leakage in the UK. [1580]
§ Dr. WhiteheadI have been asked to reply.
The Environment Agency estimates that there are approximately 14,000 petrol stations in England and Wales with some 60,000–70,000 underground storage tanks. The risk of leakage at these facilities not only from the storage tanks but also pipework and pump delivery systems, including delivery of fuel to the site. HSE does not have information on the number of underground storage tanks at risk of leakage in the UK. However, local authority petroleum enforcement officers issue licences under the Petroleum (Consolidation) Act 1928 to retail petrol outlets to ensure the safe storage of petrol. Conditions attached to these licences specify arrangements to prevent and detect leaks.
§ Mr. LlwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans her Department has to introduce a new licensing agreement for petrol retailers using underground storage tanks. [1590]
§ Dr. WhiteheadI have been asked to reply.
HSE has no plans to establish new licensing arrangements but this topic will form part of the review currently being conducted into modernising petrol legislation.
§ Mr. LlwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many leakages from underground storage tanks have been reported in each of the past five years; how many have resulted in prosecution; how many have caused environmental damage; and if she will make a statement. [1583]
§ Dr. WhiteheadI have been asked to reply.
630WHSE does not collect statistics on how many leakages from underground storage tanks have been reported. The Environment Agency's prosecution database runs only from January 1999 and does not provide narrative in respect of prosecutions. The failure to report leakage or the fact of such leakage from a storage tank would not therefore be specifically identified and case-by-case information would be disproportionately expensive to obtain. If leakage from a petrol tank occurred a prosecution would be likely to be based on the leakage itself and the resulting pollution or a breach of a licence condition.
§ Mr. LlwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans her Department has to commission a full condition audit of underground storage tanks in the UK; and if she will make a statement. [1578]
§ Dr. WhiteheadI have been asked to reply.
HSE and the Environment Agency have no plans to commission a full condition audit of all underground storage tanks in the UK. There are a number of Environment Agency initiatives aimed at preventing pollution from such tanks and associated facilities. In general, these approaches focus on factors such as the condition of the facility, their age and environmental sensitivity, and the potential consequences of leakage in Environment Agency groundwater protection zones. In addition, local authority petroleum enforcement officers issue licences under the Petroleum (Consolidation) Act 1928 to retail petrol outlets to ensure the safe storage of petrol. Conditions attached to these licences specify arrangements to prevent and detect leaks.
§ Mr. LlwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many field visits and inspections were made by environmental health officers to petrol retail outlets using underground storage tanks during each of the past five years. [1581]
§ Dr. WhiteheadI have been asked to reply.
HSE does not collect statistics on the number of field visits and inspections made by environmental health officers to petrol retail outlets using underground storage tanks. Local authority petroleum officers issue licences under the Petroleum (Consolidation) Act 1928 to petrol retail outlets to ensure the safe storage of petrol.
§ Mr. LlwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will establish a new petroleum authority(a) to regulate and (b) license companies providing offsite wetstock monitoring to ensure they have adequate professional indemnity insurance. [1576]
§ Dr. WhiteheadI have been asked to reply.
HSE has no plans to establish new petroleum authorities but this topic will form part of the review currently being conducted into modernising petrol legislation.
§ Mr. LlwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has received proposing the introduction of a regulatory regime for underground storage tanks used by petrol retailers; and if she will make a statement. [1589]
§ Dr. WhiteheadI have been asked to reply.
631WHSE has not received any representations about the introduction of a regulatory regime for underground storage tanks but this topic will form part of the review currently being conducted into modernising petrol legislation.
§ Mr. LlwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what financial aid is available to small independent petrol retailers to help upgrade underground storage tanks and pipes to avoid future leakages; and if she will make a statement. [1579]
§ Dr. WhiteheadI have been asked to reply.
There is no financial help available in England and Wales. The Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Scottish Enterprise do offer assistance through the Rural Petrol Stations Grant Scheme, which is aimed at improving the environmental performance of such sites, by replacement and upgrade. Grants are available up to 50 per cent. of the cost of work. They are able to do this because Environmental protection is a devolved power (to Scotland).
§ Mr. LlwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will issue a code of practice for petrol retailers using underground storage tanks from which site managers can benchmark their performance. [1972]
§ Dr. WhiteheadI have been asked to reply.
DEFRA is currently preparing a Code of Practice, with a view to public consultation, which should help petrol retailers comply with the requirements of the groundwater regulations as they impact on the storage of petrol in underground tanks. It is intended that the Code of Practice will be issued in due course. In addition, there is substantial guidance material available in the Institute of Petroleum/Association for Petrol and Explosive Administrators' document "Guidance for the Design, Construction, Modification and Maintenance of Petrol Filling Stations".