§ David BurnsideTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will confirm whether there will be a difference in the treatment of gas pipeline companies involved in gas transportation for Northern Ireland whose pipelines would be designated under the Energy (Northern Ireland) Order 2003. [98365]
§ Mr. PearsonAll discussions to date with interested parties regarding the postalisation of gas conveyance charges in Northern Ireland have been conducted in an open and transparent manner. All future issues pertaining to the designation of pipelines and the implementation of postalisation will be dealt with in the same manner. In implementing postalisation, the Department will of course comply with its legal obligations including those under Community Law such as Article 3, paragraph 1 of Directive 98/30EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 June 1998 concerning common rules for the internal market in natural gas, which requires Member States not to discriminate between natural gas undertakings such as pipeline operators as regards either rights or obligations.