Huhne notes Gulf impact on UK oil industry

The effects of the Gulf of Mexico oil leak on the UK oil industry - and the steps being taken to collaborate with the US on tackling the spill - have been clarified by Chris Huhne, secretary of state for energy and climate change.

He explains that regulations in the UK have been relatively tight since 1988, when the Piper Alpha rig exploded with a resultant 167 fatalities.

Since that time, health and safety has also been a separate issue from licensing for the purposes of regulating the UK oil industry.

However, Mr Huhne says work is still ongoing to ensure that health and safety levels do not slip as deeper waters are explored off the British coastline.

He also reveals that the UK is helping in tackling the spill in the Gulf of Mexico by providing dispersants to deal with the escaped oil - equivalent on a weekly basis to the entire leak caused during the Exxon Valdez incident in 1989.