| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Export Credits Guarantee Department
The Minister for Trade (Ian Pearson): I will publish shortly the Government's final response to ECGD's consultation on changes made to their anti-bribery and corruption procedures in December 2004.
Sexual Orientation (Discrimination)
The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (Alan Johnson): I am today publishing a consultation paper that sets out our proposals for using a power included in the Equality Act 2006 to make regulations that prohibit sexual orientation discrimination in the provision of goods, facilities and services, in education and in the exercise of public functions. We propose to lay these regulations in the House in October. They will be subject to the affirmative procedure.
I have placed copies of the consultation paper in the House Library. This seeks views on specific points about the range of activities that should be covered by the regulations, and on whether any exceptions should be provided from them to ensure that the protection from
13 Mar 2006 : Column 91WS
sexual orientation discrimination that is introduced is effective and appropriately targeted. The consultation period will last for 12 weeks, closing on 5 June.
Offshore Petroleum Licensing
The Minister for Energy (Malcolm Wicks): I am pleased to inform the House that I am today inviting applications for petroleum licences for unlicensed seaward blocks which will form the 24th round of offshore petroleum licensing. These blocks are located in the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) areas 1–6 (a map of the SEA areas can be found on the website indicated below).
The DTI's draft plan to offer licences for offshore oil and gas exploration and production through a 24th licensing round was the subject of a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) initiated in 2004. The SEA is documented on a dedicated website (www.offshore-sea.org.uk) and includes commissioned reports on various components of the natural environment, cultural features and socio-economic considerations. In addition, as part of the SEA new information was collected for example on selected seabed features through seafloor mapping, sampling and photography, and on the offshore behaviour of seals by means of satellite tagging. The draft plan for the 24th licensing round included offering blocks within the Irish sea, and also in those areas that had been subject to earlier DTI SEAs (SEAs 1,2,3,4 and 5) which covered the UK North sea exclusive economic zone and the UK EEZ to the north and west of Orkney and Shetland.
The potential implications of the exploration and production activities which could follow if the draft plan was adopted were considered at an expert assessment workshop and a stakeholder workshop. The results of these workshops were assessed further and documented in an Environmental report which then formed the basis for consultation with the consultation bodies and the public. The initiation of a three-month consultation period on the DTI's draft plan and Environmental report was advertised in a number of local and national newspapers and by email notification to a wide range of individuals and organisations.
All responses received from statutory and other consultees on the draft plan and the Environmental report have been considered by the DTI and a post consultation report for SEA 6 prepared and placed on the SEA website.
13 Mar 2006 : Column 92WS
This summarises consultee comments and DTI responses to them. The full texts of consultee comments have also been placed on the SEA website.
In deciding to proceed with a 24th offshore licensing round the DTI has considered the conclusions and recommendations of the SEA 6 Environmental report together with feedback received from consultees. As a result of the SEA process, a number of blocks are being withheld from licensing for the present on environmental grounds. These blocks are:
34/6, 34/7, 34/8, 34/12, 34/13, 34/17, 34/18, 40/15, 41/29, 41/30, 47/11, 47/27, 47/28, 47/29, 47/30, 48/26, 51/3, 51/4, 51/5, 52/1, 52/28.
Licensing of these blocks may be revisited in the future, for example as more information on the features of interest becomes available. A case in point is blocks 15/20c and 15/25d which have been withheld from licensing since 2002 (SEA 2) but following consideration of a commissioned study from the British geological survey are now included in the 24th round (with conditions attached). In addition, a number of blocks may be licensed but with conditions attached restricting or prohibiting marine activities. It should be noted that the Offshore Petroleum Production and Pipe-lines (Assessment of Environmental Effects) Regulations 1999 and the Offshore Petroleum Activities (Conservation of Habitats) Regulations, 2001 variously require that all major activities undertaken in connection with UK offshore hydrocarbon exploration and production include environmental assessment as part of consenting.
In addition, 50 blocks will not be offered for licensing in these SEA areas at the request of the Ministry of Defence
The DTI has established an offshore oil and gas environmental monitoring committee which is charged with coordinating the monitoring of significant environmental effects of the industry, including those that could arise from the implementation of the plan to hold a 24th round of offshore licensing.
In addition to the website above, a copy of the SEA Environmental report can be reviewed at:
Department of Trade and Industry
Arrangements to view the report can be made by telephoning 0207 215 5032.