HC Deb 29 April 1974 vol 872 cc748-9
5. Mr. Stanley

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he will make public his strategy for meeting Great Britain's energy requirements up to 1985.

Mr. Varley

I certainly wish to keep the House in touch with the Government's energy strategy. I am at present reviewing the problems in this field, and I shall in due course consider how I can best inform the House and the country about my conclusions.

Mr. Stanley

Will not the right hon. Gentleman consider adopting the practice followed for public expenditure whereby long-term forecasts are presented for public discussion and updated annually?

Mr. Varley

I want to give as much information to the House as possible, but I do not want to commit myself to a White Paper at this stage.

Mr. Kelley

Will my right hon. Friend take the opportunity, when announcing the strategy, to state that the Drax B development will be the first coal-fired power station to be sanctioned by his Department?

Mr. Varley

As my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State has said, we are considering the question of the Drax power station as a matter of urgency and in relation to overall power station policy.

Mr. David Howell

The noble Lord the Minister of State has said that there will be an output of 200 million tons of North Sea oil by a certain date, although we are not sure when, and has drawn his calculations from that estimate. Is the noble Lord's estimate confirmed by the right hon. Gentleman's calculations? If so, what is the estimated date?

Mr. Varley

I shall be publishing up-to-date and revised figures next month about what we expect from the North Sea.