Conor Lenihan (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)

The core objective of these amendments, together with a number of further amendments that I will also be discussing today, is to provide the maximum level of clarity for everyone with an interest in the development of the new safety regulatory framework. The primary purpose of the Bill is to establish a national risk assessment safety framework based on international best practice, as recommended by Advantica following its safety review of the Corrib gas pipeline. A risk assessment framework is a regulatory mechanism that will require petroleum undertakings to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the commission that they have reduced and are managing safety related risk to a level that is as low as reasonably feasible.

Having reflected on this core purpose and to ensure clarity for all parties interested in the formulation of the new safety framework, I consider it necessary to make explicit reference in these amendments to risk assessment, in both the definition of the petroleum safety framework and in the reference to that framework in the body of the Bill in section 131. This hardens up the definitions in response to a number of issues raised by Opposition Members on Committee Stage.