Planning controls and safe construction and operation of salt cavern gas storage facilities are covered by the Seveso II Directive. Planning aspects of the directive are implemented through planning legislation, which deals with the siting of such facilities. The safety aspects of the directive are implemented through the Control of Major Accident Hazard (COMAH) Regulations 1999 (as amended) administered by the HSE. The Seveso II Directive will be superceded by a new Seveso III Directive which will be implemented in the UK in 2015 through updated planning and health and safety legislation. There will be full consultation on the new legislation which is currently under development.

There are no such plans, though we would expect gas storage operators to have in place public liability insurance to cover any potential liabilities as a matter of good business practice.

Storage operations are subject to a robust regulatory regime that is designed to ensure that they are carried out to the highest standards. The Government has no plans to change the current law on liability in this area.

The Centre for Protection of National Infrastructure determines whether or not such issues are considered to be matters of national security, on a case by case basis.

The Government remains committed to geological disposal as the right policy for the long-term management of higher-activity radioactive waste.

Following Cumbria county council's decision not to continue in the Managing Radioactive Waste Safely programme, the site selection process in west Cumbria has ended. The invitation for communities to express an interest in joining the programme remains open, however, and, as set out in the written statement of 31 January 2013, Official Report, columns 54-56WS, by the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), we remain confident that the programme is sound and will be put into effect. The positive decisions by Copeland and Allerdale borough councils showed that local authorities can see the benefits of participation in the programme.

We are now considering whether any changes should be made to our current approach to the site selection process. No changes will be introduced without further consultation.

Until such time as a geological disposal facility is implemented, safe and secure interim storage facilities will remain available, for as long as necessary.

The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), has had no discussions with either the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith), or the Health and Safety Executive about the proposed Stublach underground gas storage facility.

The Government is taking a range of actions to improve energy storage.

Gas

Ofgem are currently consulting on proposals to sharpen the incentives on gas shippers to prepare for low probability/high impact events. Their proposals, which could be implemented in time for winter 2013-14 through use of the new powers they gained through the Energy Act 2011, should help underpin commercial demand for a range of gas supply infrastructure, including storage.

Electricity

DECC has identified storage as one of the specific technology areas which should be supported with energy innovation funding—from the approximately £200 million allocated for the Department to support low-carbon technologies over the four financial years from April 2011.

DECC expects to launch a scheme to support energy storage innovation soon.

Oil

As a member of the International Energy Agency (IEA) and EU, the UK holds emergency stocks of crude oil and petroleum products that can be released to market in the event of short-term oil supply disruptions. The EU currently requires the UK to hold 67.5 days of annual daily inland consumption.

Heat

DECC has launched an innovation competition to assess the performance of advanced thermal, storage, which can be integrated with heat technologies as an effective means to mitigate potential strain on the electricity grid in scenarios of increasing loads from low carbon heat technologies (such as heat pumps). DECC is currently reviewing the applications.