Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to his Department's Guidance on how to prepare for Brexit if there's no deal, what parts of the Government’s plan for running an oil or gas business in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal have been implemented.

The Pipe-lines, Petroleum, Electricity Works and Oil Stocking (Miscellaneous Amendments) (EU Exit) Regulations 2018 were laid before Parliament in December 2018 and will enter into force following the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. The Regulations will ensure that the relevant regulatory regimes for oil and gas licensing, environmental protection and oil stocking remain effective and appropriate post-EU exit. They will not result in any additional burdens on industry as they will simply fix ‘post-exit’ deficiencies within a suite of existing legislation.

The existing UK Compulsory Oil Stocking regime will continue to operate in the event of a no deal, but the EU obligations within this system will cease to apply. Several bilateral agreements are in place with other EU Member States to help ensure that the system continues to be flexible and robust.

The Department engages regularly with the oil and gas sector on EU exit issues.