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895376

	registered interest
	date	01/05/2018
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Offshore Industry: Air Pollution
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many hydrocarbon releases from oil and gas installations on the UK continental shelf were recorded by the Health and Safety Executive in each year from 2000 to 2017.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton North
	tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
	uin	140076
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/05/2018 answer text <p>The Health and Safety Executive has recorded the following hydrocarbon releases (HCRs) by year:</p><p> </p><p>2000 264</p><p>2001 251</p><p>2002 242</p><p>2003 242</p><p>2004 273</p><p>2005 224</p><p>2006 190</p><p>2007 185</p><p>2008 147</p><p>2009 179</p><p>2010 186</p><p>2011 142</p><p>2012 105</p><p>2013 118</p><p>2014 94</p><p>2015 93</p><p>2016 101(p)</p><p>2017 103(p)</p><p> </p><p>Final figures for 2016 will be confirmed and published with the provisional figures for 2017 as part of the Health and Safety Executive’s annual <em>Offshore Statistics &amp; Regulatory Activity Report, </em>due to be published in July.</p><p> </p><p>Releases are categorised as “major”, “significant” and “minor”, depending on the potential consequences of the event, which is usually directly linked to the total quantity or rate of release.Overall reported hydrocarbon releases have approximately halved since 2010. The reporting process presents an opportunity for both the regulator and the industry to investigate and identify underlying causes and learn lessons.</p><p> </p><p>Although the offshore industry has seen the overall downward trend as an indicator of improved performance, HSE remains concerned that every release represents a deficiency in an operator’s process safety management, and an increased risk of harm to workers. There have also been a small number of large releases every year which could have resulted in a major accident.</p><p> </p><p>Consequently, the Director of HSE’s Energy Division wrote recently to challenge the offshore industry to identify and address any weaknesses in its leadership and safety culture, as well as its arrangements for safety system audits, which have allowed such releases to occur (see attachment entitled Letter from the Director, HSE Energy Division to the Oil and Gas Industry on Hydrocarbon Releases).</p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton question first answered 10/05/2018 14:33:45 question first ministerially corrected 14/05/2018 16:39:39 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton attachment 1 file name Attachment to 140076 & 140715 - Letter from the Director, HSE Energy Division to the Oil and Gas Industry on Hydrocarbon Releases.doc title Letter from HSE Director previous answer version 57122 answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
	tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

895375

	registered interest
	date	01/05/2018
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Offshore Industry: Safety
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many employees in the UK oil and gas industry served as elected safety representatives on UK continental shelf installations in each year from 2010 to 2017.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton North
	tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
	uin	140075
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/05/2018 answer text <p>The information cannot be provided in the format requested but according to the Offshore Petroleum Industry Training Organisation’s (OPITO) records, some 3857 ESRs did their mandatory initial training from 2010-17.</p><p> </p><p>As part of implementing a programme of Workforce Engagement inspections during 2015-16, HSE established that there were 1500 – 1700 ESRs in place at that time.</p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton question first answered 10/05/2018 14:33:43 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
	tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

895377

	registered interest
	date	01/05/2018
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Offshore Industry: Air Pollution
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what standard training the Government has made available to elected safety representatives in the (a) detection and (b) reporting of hydrocarbon releases from oil and gas installations on the UK continental shelf.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton North
	tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
	uin	140077
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/05/2018 answer text <p>The Offshore Petroleum Industry Training Organisation (OPITO) is the organisation that provides the standard for initial Elected Safety Representative (ESR) training. It is the Duty Holders who are responsible for ensuring ESRs are suitably trained and that the cost is not borne by them.</p><p> </p><p>The OPITO Offshore Safety Representative Training Standard was reviewed by OPITO, HSE, International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC), and the Step Change in Safety Workforce Engagement Support Team (WEST) during 2016/2017. A revised standard has been in use since 5 June 2017 and includes 34learning outcomes.</p><p> </p><p>There are also OPITO development training modules for ESRs which were developed in conjunction with the Offshore Industry Advisory Committee’s “Workforce Involvement Group” during 2012. The modules are:</p><p> </p><ol><li>Understanding and Identifying Major Accident Hazards.</li><li>Understanding Risk Analysis to get Involved in Preparing and Revising the Safety Case.</li><li>Investigate Incidents and Apply Root Case Analysis.</li><li>Conduct Independent Inspections and Audits and Effectively Present Findings.</li></ol><p><strong> </strong></p><p>HSE has conducted 26 offshore inspections on Workforce Engagement in the last two and a half years, which includes compliance with the Safety Representatives and Safety Committee Regulations 1989 (“SI971”); the need for ESRs to be provided with the time, training and facilities to fulfil their functions under these Regulations; and involvement with the work force they represent. and how matters are addressed by the Safety Committee. This also covered the mandatory consultation in the 2015 Safety Case regulations.</p><p> </p><p>HSE’s workforce engagement policies identified the need for ESRs to be provided with more suitable training so that they could more effectively engage with managing major accident hazards. This resulted in the development of the four OPITO training modules mentioned above. Since the increased uptake of the additional training, and the development of comparable training by individual duty holders, HSE inspectors are finding that ESRs now have a better understanding of major accident hazard management. This means that ESRs are better placed to discharge their safety functions.</p><p> </p><p>HSE inspectors always meet with ESRs as the first part of their offshore inspection. The inspectors discuss and sense check their inspection agendas with ESRs. Very often ESRs will identify issues that the HSE inspectors had not planned to inspect. These inputs are invariably very useful to HSE and often make a major difference to the impact of the inspections. HSE also finds that duty holder leaders greatly value the safety insights provided to them by their ESRs.</p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton grouped question UIN 140079 question first answered 10/05/2018 14:33:47 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
	tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

895378

	registered interest
	date	01/05/2018
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Offshore Industry: Safety
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to improve safety on offshore oil and gas installations on the UK continental shelf.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton North
	tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
	uin	140078
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/05/2018 answer text <p>HSE has intervention strategies for every duty holder operating on the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS). Strategies are addressed through a risk-based planned inspection programme, set every year for each duty holder, to test their relative strengths and focus on their weaknesses. This is further supported by investigations of incidents, which in addition to enabling HSE to hold duty holders to account for any non-compliances, usually provide opportunities for improvement in relation to the underlying causes of incidents and non-compliance.</p><p> </p><p>The Safety Case regime is also a key mechanism for improvement. Duty holders cannot operate without HSE’s formal acceptance of their Safety Case that sets out how they will manage the major accident risks. Any material changes to the Safety Case also require HSE acceptance. HSE accepts Safety Cases where the duty holder has demonstrated the risks created are controlled to a level that is as low as is reasonably practicable (ALARP). Duty holders must review their safety cases every five years to be able to continue to demonstrate ALARP in the context of the ageing of their installations, and changes in technology and management systems that are relevant for safety.</p><p> </p><p>HSE also has two focussed inspection programmes that provide further improvement opportunities for industry:</p><p> </p><p><em>In-Depth Inspections focussing on Maintaining Safe Operations.</em> These inspections were introduced in 2016 to address the potential adverse safety implications of the oil price downturn and focus on the effectiveness of duty holder leadership in managing the safety risks.</p><p> </p><p><em>Operational Integrity</em> <em>inspections</em>. These focus on those elements of Process Safety Management that are most relevant to the prevention of hydrocarbon releases including the need for industry to focus on effective safety management systems as well as hardware issues such as plant integrity.</p><p> </p><p>Both inspection programmes have identified lessons for individual Duty holders and the industry. These are being addressed directly with each duty holder inspected, and key issues fed back to industry.</p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton question first answered 10/05/2018 14:33:49 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
	tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

895379

	registered interest
	date	01/05/2018
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Offshore Industry: Safety
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the effect of the introduction of (a) elected safety representatives and (b) workforce engagement policies on the standard of safety in the offshore oil and gas industry since the 1990s.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton North
	tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
	uin	140079
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/05/2018 answer text <p>The Offshore Petroleum Industry Training Organisation (OPITO) is the organisation that provides the standard for initial Elected Safety Representative (ESR) training. It is the Duty Holders who are responsible for ensuring ESRs are suitably trained and that the cost is not borne by them.</p><p> </p><p>The OPITO Offshore Safety Representative Training Standard was reviewed by OPITO, HSE, International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC), and the Step Change in Safety Workforce Engagement Support Team (WEST) during 2016/2017. A revised standard has been in use since 5 June 2017 and includes 34learning outcomes.</p><p> </p><p>There are also OPITO development training modules for ESRs which were developed in conjunction with the Offshore Industry Advisory Committee’s “Workforce Involvement Group” during 2012. The modules are:</p><p> </p><ol><li>Understanding and Identifying Major Accident Hazards.</li><li>Understanding Risk Analysis to get Involved in Preparing and Revising the Safety Case.</li><li>Investigate Incidents and Apply Root Case Analysis.</li><li>Conduct Independent Inspections and Audits and Effectively Present Findings.</li></ol><p><strong> </strong></p><p>HSE has conducted 26 offshore inspections on Workforce Engagement in the last two and a half years, which includes compliance with the Safety Representatives and Safety Committee Regulations 1989 (“SI971”); the need for ESRs to be provided with the time, training and facilities to fulfil their functions under these Regulations; and involvement with the work force they represent. and how matters are addressed by the Safety Committee. This also covered the mandatory consultation in the 2015 Safety Case regulations.</p><p> </p><p>HSE’s workforce engagement policies identified the need for ESRs to be provided with more suitable training so that they could more effectively engage with managing major accident hazards. This resulted in the development of the four OPITO training modules mentioned above. Since the increased uptake of the additional training, and the development of comparable training by individual duty holders, HSE inspectors are finding that ESRs now have a better understanding of major accident hazard management. This means that ESRs are better placed to discharge their safety functions.</p><p> </p><p>HSE inspectors always meet with ESRs as the first part of their offshore inspection. The inspectors discuss and sense check their inspection agendas with ESRs. Very often ESRs will identify issues that the HSE inspectors had not planned to inspect. These inputs are invariably very useful to HSE and often make a major difference to the impact of the inspections. HSE also finds that duty holder leaders greatly value the safety insights provided to them by their ESRs.</p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton grouped question UIN 140077 question first answered 10/05/2018 14:33:47 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
	tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

895381

	registered interest
	date	01/05/2018
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Offshore Industry: Safety
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions she has had with the Ministers in the Department for Exiting the European Union on the EU directive on the safety of offshore oil and gas operations; and what the outcome was of those discussions.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton North
	tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
	uin	140080
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/05/2018 answer text <p>The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 has led to the United Kingdom having one of the best records on health and safety at work in the world. We see no reason why this should change as the country leaves the EU.</p><p> </p><p>The Government intends to maintain the current protections for workers by using powers proposed in the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill. This will give workers and businesses as much certainty as possible and ensure existing health and safety law, including the offshore oil and gas regulatory framework, continues to work in the same way after the UK has left the EU.</p><p> </p><p>Officials are working closely with counterparts from the Department for Exiting the European Union to ensure the UK’s health and safety system, including its application to the offshore oil and gas industry, is fully integrated into EU exit considerations.</p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton grouped question UIN 140081 question first answered 10/05/2018 14:33:50 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
	tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

895382

	registered interest
	date	01/05/2018
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Offshore Industry: Safety
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effect of the UK’s departure from the European Union on the effectiveness of the statutory framework governing the safety of offshore oil and gas workers on the UK continental shelf.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton North
	tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
	uin	140081
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/05/2018 answer text <p>The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 has led to the United Kingdom having one of the best records on health and safety at work in the world. We see no reason why this should change as the country leaves the EU.</p><p> </p><p>The Government intends to maintain the current protections for workers by using powers proposed in the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill. This will give workers and businesses as much certainty as possible and ensure existing health and safety law, including the offshore oil and gas regulatory framework, continues to work in the same way after the UK has left the EU.</p><p> </p><p>Officials are working closely with counterparts from the Department for Exiting the European Union to ensure the UK’s health and safety system, including its application to the offshore oil and gas industry, is fully integrated into EU exit considerations.</p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton grouped question UIN 140080 question first answered 10/05/2018 14:33:50 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
	tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

895420

	registered interest
	date	01/05/2018
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Offshore Industry: Safety
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the effect of the level of enforcement of the Installations (Safety Representatives and Safety Committees) Regulations 1989 on oil and gas installations on the UK continental shelf.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton North
	tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
	uin	140082
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/05/2018 answer text <p>Workforce Engagement inspections are largely focused on compliance with the Installations (Safety Representatives and Safety Committees) Regulations 1989 (“SI 971”). From the 26 inspections undertaken specifically on workforce engagement, some 50+ non-compliance issues have been raised, formally in writing, with duty holders.</p><p> </p><p>HSE’s offshore inspection web page provides information on how HSE conducts inspections, what is expected of duty holders and guidance for the industry. It can be found at: <a href="http://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/inspection.htm" target="_blank">http://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/inspection.htm</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The level of enforcement is determined by the application of HSE’s Enforcement Management Model.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Compliance with SI 971 was subject to an inspection project during 2010 by HSE. The final report delivered in March 2011 and is available from HSE’s website: <a href="http://www.hse.gov.uk/aboutus/meetings/iacs/oiac/wig/010911/index.htm" target="_blank">http://www.hse.gov.uk/aboutus/meetings/iacs/oiac/wig/010911/index.htm</a>. SI 971 compliance is now a key part of every Workforce Engagement inspection.</p><p> </p><p>HSE’s development and use of the role of a Workforce Engagement specialist has also increased impact in this key area.</p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton grouped question UIN 140086 question first answered 10/05/2018 14:33:53 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
	tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

895421

	registered interest
	date	01/05/2018
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Offshore Industry: Safety
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions she has had with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) on the HSE's workforce engagement commitments in the offshore oil and gas industry.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton North
	tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
	uin	140083
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/05/2018 answer text <p>The Secretary of State has not had any recent discussions with Health and Safety Executive (HSE) officials on these issues. I meet regularly with the Chair and Chief Executive of HSE and I have received briefing on safety issues in the offshore oil and gas industry but not specifically on these issues.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Workforce Engagement is a key part of every HSE offshore inspection. HSE continues to meet with Elected Safety Representatives (ESRs) at the beginning and at the end of every inspection. The ESRs are also copied into the regulatory letters arising from the inspections so that they can share them with their constituents.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The answer to Question 140077 also covers training provisions for ESRs.</p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton grouped question UIN 140084 question first answered 10/05/2018 14:33:56 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
	tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

895424

	registered interest
	date	01/05/2018
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Offshore Industry: Safety
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions she has had with the Health and Safety Executive on the training of elected safety representatives in the offshore oil and gas industry.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton North
	tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
	uin	140084
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/05/2018 answer text <p>The Secretary of State has not had any recent discussions with Health and Safety Executive (HSE) officials on these issues. I meet regularly with the Chair and Chief Executive of HSE and I have received briefing on safety issues in the offshore oil and gas industry but not specifically on these issues.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Workforce Engagement is a key part of every HSE offshore inspection. HSE continues to meet with Elected Safety Representatives (ESRs) at the beginning and at the end of every inspection. The ESRs are also copied into the regulatory letters arising from the inspections so that they can share them with their constituents.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The answer to Question 140077 also covers training provisions for ESRs.</p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton grouped question UIN 140083 question first answered 10/05/2018 14:33:56 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
	tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham