HC Deb 15 November 1971 vol 826 cc28-9
36. Mr. Peter Archer

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many staff in his Department are employed in the allocation of blocs to oil companies for off-shore exploration of petroleum in the North Sea; and what is the annual cost of their salaries.

Mr. Ridley

This periodic work is carried out by the staff in Petroleum Division responsible for administering petroleum production legislation numbering 14 whole or part-time: no extra staff are engaged. The salary cost is about £40,000 per annum. It is not possible, without disproportionate effort, to determine how much is related to allocation work.

Mr. Archer

Would the hon. Gentleman accept my congratulations on administering this field at obviously a very small expense? Is he aware that the Government are seeking to argue that an international authority to administer exploitation of the sea bed would entail much bureaucracy? Would he agree that the figures he has just quoted show that it would do nothing of the kind?

Mr. Ridley

I am not talking about the administration of the control of the sea bed but about the allocation of production and exploration licences for petrol, and these are very different things.