The attached has been received from the Secretary of the UKOOA Environmental Committee, and should be self explanatory.

What should be of worry, is that the data referred to by the DTI, on Produced Water, Reportable Oil Spills and Oil on Cuttings, is all maintained for the DTI by SCOPEC on the UKOOA/DTI data base. Once MCS appreciate what is being held on that database, and which could legitimately be termed as "required by the DTI under statutory provisions", chemical use, discharge, fugitive emissions, flaring and well testing figures could all have to be provided on request.

Shell admit that in 1996, they have calculated that they flared more gas than the UK had been previously reporting as a total for UKCS E & P Activities, and this is recorded on the database. Such figures may result in high scrutiny of operations, particularly in 'pristine areas' such as West of Shetland, by Greenpeace and other similar organisations.

Please let me know if you are asked for information and I will log such requests for UKOOA.