Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

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.

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.

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.

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.