There are currently 342 oil and gas production facilities in the North Sea and West of Shetland, of which 297 are fixed platforms. The exact locations of these can be found via the North Sea Transition Authority’s offshore interactive map via:

www.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=f4b1ea5802944a55aa4a9df0184205a5.

According to Westwood Energy RigLogix service, there are currently 31 mobile oil and gas drilling rigs located in the North Sea and West of Shetland. Of these, 19 are currently either on active operations or moving to location, seven are awaiting deployment, and five are in shipyards undergoing inspection, maintenance, or modification.

Current clinical advice is that testing of individuals without symptoms should be used where clinically appropriate. We continue to use the latest science and clinical advice to inform our approach.

The Health and Safety Executive is currently investigating the reasons for the evacuation of the Thistle oil platform. While the investigation is on-going it would be inappropriate to comment further.

The offshore regulatory regime does not place duties on the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to carry out mandatory inspections. HSE inspects duty holders’ arrangements for managing major accident risks. HSE carried out an inspection of EnQuest’s management of the structural integrity of its Thistle installation in December 2018. Based on the results of the inspection, HSE had planned a follow-up inspection for November 2019. This follow up has been postponed because of the need to investigate the structural integrity issues that led to the evacuation of the workers on 21 October 2019.

The Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) last planned inspection of EnQuest’s management of the safety of its subsea structures was in December 2018. Following that inspection, HSE had planned an inspection in November 2019 to evaluate the progress EnQuest had made with its subsea structural analyses and monitoring arrangements. However, this has been postponed as HSE is currently investigating the reasons for the evacuation of EnQuest’s Thistle installation. The investigation findings will inform HSE’s future inspections with EnQuest.

The Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) investigations into both incidents are on-going and have included mobilisation of multi-discipline investigation teams to each installation. The investigations have already required HSE to serve enforcement notices on each of the installations’ respective duty holders. Enforcement notices are published on HSE’s website nine weeks after they are served, unless the duty holder appeals the notices at an Employment Tribunal.

It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. I will correspond directly with the noble Lord.

The Air Accident Investigation Branch has recorded four accidents during the transportation of workers to North Sea oil rigs in each of the last five years. They are as follows:

2011

Acidents: 1

Aircraft Registration: G-IACC

Final Report: https://assets.digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk/media/5422f8d9ed915d13740006f9/Sikorsky_S-92A__G-IACC_09-11.pdf

2012

Accidents:2

Aircraft Registration:G-REDW & G-CHCN

Final Report: https://assets.digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk/media/5422fbaaed915d1374000833/2-2014_G-REDW_and_G-CHCN.pdf

2013

Accidents:1

Aircraft Registration: G-WNSB

Final Report: Work Ongoing

In respect of health and safety matters the law is goal setting, requiring workers to be provided with information, instruction and training necessary to ensure they are able to undertake their work safely. With respect to work offshore, the Offshore Petroleum Industry Training Organization (UK) has developed a wide range of training courses and standards that include safety information. HSE is an observer to the OPITO board.

Two particular standards, the Minimum Industry Safety Training (MIST) and Basic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training (BOSIET) courses cover the general safety knowledge required by all employees before working offshore in the oil and gas industry.

I refer the noble Lord to my previous response of 23 Oct 2013, Official Report, Column WA180. In addition the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have pressed from the outset for consular visits and for lawyers provided by Greenpeace to have access to the six British nationals.

The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member of Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), raised the ongoing detention of the Greenpeace activists with Foreign Minister Lavrov on 25 September and 4 November, and the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), made clear the need for prompt, fair and proportionate action by the Russian judicial system when he spoke to President Putin on 5 November. The Minister for Europe, my right hon. Friend the Member for Aylesbury (David Lidington) raised this case with the Russian Ambassador to the United Kingdom on 7 November.

Consular staff have regularly visited the six British nationals, most recently on 7 November, and there were no issues reported around inhumane or degrading treatment by the Russian authorities.

The noble Baroness will be aware of the Adjournment Debate in the other place on the arrests of Greenpeace activists by the Russian Federation, held on 23 October. Mr Kieron Bryan, a journalist, is one of six British nationals who were on board the Greenpeace vessel “Arctic Sunrise” who have been detained by the Russian authorities. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) discussed their detention with Russia’s Foreign Minister on 25 September, and subsequently wrote to him on 6 October. The Foreign Secretary continues to follow the case very closely. Senior Foreign and Commonwealth officials also raised this case with the Russian Ambassador to the UK on 26 September. The British Embassy have followed up with the Russian authorities on 2 October when the British Ambassador in Moscow raised the detentions with Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov and most recently with Deputy Foreign Minister Titov on 22 Oct. The Russian authorities are fully aware of our concerns, and we continue to monitor the case closely. We will continue to provide full consular assistance to the six British nationals. Consular staff are also in regular contact with the families of the British nationals detained, including Mr Bryan’s.

Mr Kieron Bryan is one of six British nationals who were on board the Greenpeace vessel “Arctic Sunrise” who have been detained by the Russian authorities. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), discussed their detention with Russia’s Foreign Minister on 25 September, and subsequently wrote to him on 6 October. The Foreign Secretary continues to follow the case very closely. Senior Foreign and Commonwealth officials also raised this case with the Russian Ambassador to the UK on 26 September. The British Embassy have followed up with the Russian authorities, most recently on 2 October when the British Ambassador in Moscow raised the detentions with Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov. The Russian authorities are fully aware of our concerns, and we will continue to monitor the case closely. We will continue to provide full consular assistance to the six British nationals. Consular staff are also in regular contact with the families of the British nationals detained, including Mr Bryan’s.

As a party to the European Convention on Human Rights, we expect Russia to fully adhere to the principles expressed in it. We will continue to monitor closely the conditions under which the detainees are held, and will raise any concerns with the relevant Russian authorities.

Since their arrival in Murmansk, consular officials have been providing full consular assistance to the six British nationals detained onboard the Greenpeace vessel, the “Arctic Sunrise”, to ensure that any concerns about their welfare are raised with the relevant authorities and addressed appropriately. They have visited them regularly and consistently raised the importance of all those detained having access to a lawyer. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), reiterated this when he discussed their detention with Russia’s Foreign Minister on 25 September and subsequently wrote to him on 6 October. Senior Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials have also raised this case with Russia’s Ambassador to the UK on 26 September and followed up with officials in Moscow.

The British nationals detained were initially held in a number of locations across Murmansk. Consular officials immediately raised this with the Russian authorities and pressed for the six British nationals to be moved to the same detention centre. This has now happened and consular officials remain in regular contact with the Russian prison authorities about any future arrangements.

Consular officials met the British nationals detained, who were aboard the Greenpeace vessel, the “Arctic Sunrise”, on their arrival in Murmansk

and have been visiting them regularly since to discuss welfare issues and follow up with the relevant Russian authorities. In addition consular officials have passed messages to and from family members. They have raised the importance of all British nationals detained being able to make calls to their families. Russian authorities have clarified the procedures for this and consular officials have explained it to the British nationals detained. We continue to press for these calls to take place.