Clause 21 agreed to. Amendment to clause 22, discussed with new clause 102 (Community benefits from major energy infrastructure projects), negatived on division (5 votes to 12). Clauses 22 to 35 agreed to. Clause 36 under consideration when the Committee adjourned.

Clause 21 agreed to. Amendment to clause 22, discussed with new clause 102 (Community benefits from major energy infrastructure projects), negatived on division (5 votes to 12). Clauses 22 to 35 agreed to. Clause 36 under consideration when the Committee adjourned.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) improvement and (b) prohibition notices were issued by Health and Safety Executive inspectors to operators of offshore oil and gas installations in each year since 2016-17; and how many of those notices were related to safety maintenance...

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) improvement and (b) prohibition notices were issued by Health and Safety Executive inspectors to operators of offshore oil and gas installations in each year since 2016-17; and how many of those notices were related to safety maintenance...

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent steps he has taken to ensure that the voluntary reporting scheme for safety-critical maintenance work on offshore oil and gas installations is compliant with the provisions covering risk assessments in Regulation 3 of the Management of Health and...

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent steps he has taken to ensure that the voluntary reporting scheme for safety-critical maintenance work on offshore oil and gas installations is compliant with the provisions covering risk assessments in Regulation 3 of the Management of Health and...

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the role of contractor companies in the offshore oil and gas industry in the (a) safety case assessments and (b) the voluntary reporting scheme for safety-critical maintenance work on offshore oil and gas...

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the role of contractor companies in the offshore oil and gas industry in the (a) safety case assessments and (b) the voluntary reporting scheme for safety-critical maintenance work on offshore oil and gas...

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many safety critical maintenance jobs on offshore oil and gas installations were deferred by operators in each year since 2019.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many safety critical maintenance jobs on offshore oil and gas installations were deferred by operators in each year since 2019.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which duty holders in the North Sea oil and gas industry participate in the voluntary reporting scheme for safety-critical maintenance work on offshore oil and gas installations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which duty holders in the North Sea oil and gas industry participate in the voluntary reporting scheme for safety-critical maintenance work on offshore oil and gas installations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent steps he has taken to assess the safety of grating systems for workers on offshore (a) fixed and (b) mobile oil and gas platforms.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent steps he has taken to assess the safety of grating systems for workers on offshore (a) fixed and (b) mobile oil and gas platforms.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the oil and gas industry’s guidance on Maintenance Backlog Measurement, Interpretation and Management Guideline, issued on 2 March 2022, on the (a) measurement, (b) recording and (c) clearance of all...

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the oil and gas industry’s guidance on Maintenance Backlog Measurement, Interpretation and Management Guideline, issued on 2 March 2022, on the (a) measurement, (b) recording and (c) clearance of all...

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a mandatory requirement for duty holders to report all data relating to safety critical maintenance work on operational oil and gas installations on the UK Continental Shelf; and...

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a mandatory requirement for duty holders to report all data relating to safety critical maintenance work on operational oil and gas installations on the UK Continental Shelf; and...

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which offshore oil and gas installations on the UK Continental Shelf established a safety committee in line with Regulation 19 of the Offshore Installations (Safety Representatives and Safety Committees) Regulations 1989 in each year since 2019.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which offshore oil and gas installations on the UK Continental Shelf established a safety committee in line with Regulation 19 of the Offshore Installations (Safety Representatives and Safety Committees) Regulations 1989 in each year since 2019.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an estimate of the average backlog of safety-critical maintenance work on oil and gas installations in the North Sea; and if he will compare that backlog with the figures released in the Health and Safety Report...

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an estimate of the average backlog of safety-critical maintenance work on oil and gas installations in the North Sea; and if he will compare that backlog with the figures released in the Health and Safety Report...

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions he has had with representatives of (a) duty holders, (b) contractors and (c) trade unions in the offshore oil and gas industry on backlogs of safety critical maintenance work on operational oil and gas installations on the...

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions he has had with representatives of (a) duty holders, (b) contractors and (c) trade unions in the offshore oil and gas industry on backlogs of safety critical maintenance work on operational oil and gas installations on the...

Transforming the UK continental shelf into a net zero basin will be achieved through a combination of energy efficiency, electrification from alternative, decarbonised energy, and the use of carbon-capture technology. There are a range of policies that we can bring into play to try and bring these practices to an end.

Transforming the UK continental shelf into a net zero basin will be achieved through a combination of energy efficiency, electrification from alternative, decarbonised energy, and the use of carbon-capture technology. There are a range of policies that we can bring into play to try and bring these practices to an end.

My Lords, given the vast amounts of carbon dioxide emitted directly into the air due to gas flaring, can the Minister set out how, as part of the Government’s green industrial revolution, we can capture this carbon and put it to good use, while removing these harmful emissions from the atmosphere?

My Lords, given the vast amounts of carbon dioxide emitted directly into the air due to gas flaring, can the Minister set out how, as part of the Government’s green industrial revolution, we can capture this carbon and put it to good use, while removing these harmful emissions from the atmosphere?

We do encourage companies to capture as much of it as possible and, as the noble Baroness said, put it to good use on the platforms or pipe it to shore and use it, where possible, in domestic gas transmissions. The Government’s 10-point plan for a green industrial revolution, announced in 2020, stated our ambition to capture 10 megatonnes of carbon dioxide a year by 2030—the equivalent of 4 million cars worth. Where possible, we can use it; if not, we can store it safely underground.

We do encourage companies to capture as much of it as possible and, as the noble Baroness said, put it to good use on the platforms or pipe it to shore and use it, where possible, in domestic gas transmissions. The Government’s 10-point plan for a green industrial revolution, announced in 2020, stated our ambition to capture 10 megatonnes of carbon dioxide a year by 2030—the equivalent of 4 million cars worth. Where possible, we can use it; if not, we can store it safely underground.

My Lords, as set out in our recently published energy White Paper, the UK has committed to the World Bank’s “Zero Routine Flaring by 2030” initiative. We are working with regulators towards eliminating routine flaring as soon as possible in advance of this date. Furthermore, we are working with the sector to transform the UK continental shelf into a net-zero basin by 2050.

My Lords, as set out in our recently published energy White Paper, the UK has committed to the World Bank’s “Zero Routine Flaring by 2030” initiative. We are working with regulators towards eliminating routine flaring as soon as possible in advance of this date. Furthermore, we are working with the sector to transform the UK continental shelf into a net-zero basin by 2050.

My Lords, I welcome the intent, but could we please have a timetable for this? The Netherlands, Denmark and Norway not only signed up to that initiative but actually practise it at the moment. At the moment, we are the dirty man of the North Sea; when will that end?

My Lords, I welcome the intent, but could we please have a timetable for this? The Netherlands, Denmark and Norway not only signed up to that initiative but actually practise it at the moment. At the moment, we are the dirty man of the North Sea; when will that end?

Of course, the circumstances and timescale of those other countries are, depending on their operations, different from ours. However,

I assure the noble Lord that we will continue to work with the industry, through the North Sea transition deal, and regulators, drawing on their range of powers to drive down this practice as soon as possible.

Of course, the circumstances and timescale of those other countries are, depending on their operations, different from ours. However,

I assure the noble Lord that we will continue to work with the industry, through the North Sea transition deal, and regulators, drawing on their range of powers to drive down this practice as soon as possible.

We have already been reminded today of the United Kingdom’s hosting of COP 26 later this year, so will my noble friend join me in congratulating and further encouraging the engineers and academics, part-funded by Innovate UK, who have designed a new geo-engine that can neutralise sour gas from oil rigs and produce clean electrical energy as a by-product. Is this not a better approach than immediate prohibition?

We have already been reminded today of the United Kingdom’s hosting of COP 26 later this year, so will my noble friend join me in congratulating and further encouraging the engineers and academics, part-funded by Innovate UK, who have designed a new geo-engine that can neutralise sour gas from oil rigs and produce clean electrical energy as a by-product. Is this not a better approach than immediate prohibition?