Government committed to environment and strong oil and gas sector

04 Dec 2000

Commenting on press reports about the potential designation of the area surrounding St Kilda as a World Heritage Site, Scotland Office Minister Brian Wilson said:

"Today’s press coverage on St Kilda may be misinterpreted. There is nothing new in the proposal to extend the boundaries of the World Heritage Site at St Kilda. Indeed, Government agencies have been working together for some time to define a new boundary for the St Kilda site which will include part of the surrounding marine interest. The result of the latest survey of the sea bed surrounding St Kilda supports that approach.

"Equally, we are very conscious that the oil industry supports many thousands of jobs in the UK. It would be foolish to turn our backs on these resources on the west coast as many of these jobs would be threatened. By permitting exploration, we maintain jobs, investment and prosperity. In all our considerations we are aware of the need to balance these priorities.

"In the meantime, we have been operating a voluntary 45-mile limit for oil exploration licensing around St Kilda. This will allow Scottish Natural Heritage to conduct in-depth studies of the area around St Kilda to ensure that we can put forward a full and well-considered case for extension of the St Kilda site to UNESCO, consistent with other interests."

NOTES TO NEWS EDITORS

  1. UK procedures for the licensing of blocks for petroleum exploration involve wide-scale consultation with, amongst others, the nature conservation agencies under the auspices of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (the Government’s statutory advisors on environmental matters. They do this using established and tested criteria that take account of possible effects of such activities on birds cetaceans and other marine and coastal wildlife. As a result of this advice, some blocks have been excluded from particular licensing rounds.
  2. The St Kilda archipelago was designated a World Heritage Site in 1987, with the boundary extending to the high water mark. At a meeting of the World Heritage Committee last November/December it was agreed that the UK should formally consider possible extension of the St Kilda site to the surrounding waters, prepare a new Management Plan and risk assessment, and report back to the World Heritage Bureau. The recent sea-bed survey conducted by Scottish Natural Heritage is part of this process.