§ THE EARL OF LAUDERDALEMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to encourage further intensive seismic surveying of the North Sea, of waters North of the United Kingdom, of waters to the West of the United Kingdom out to Rockall, and of the Celtic Sea and the Western Approaches.
§ THE MINISTER WITHOUT PORTFOLIO (LORD DRUMALBYN)My Lords, there are no plans at the present time to stimulate seismic exploration as the level of activity is considered adequate. As I explained in reply to my noble friend's Question on Tuesday, surveys have been carried out initially over the entire area referred to by my noble friend.
§ THE EARL OF LAUDERDALEMy Lords, while thanking my noble friend for that reply, which is less encouraging than his replies very often are, may I ask him whether or not he would agree that the broad grid survey to which he referred the other day covering the whole area is largely pre-1968 and therefore, for technical reasons, largely out of date? Would he not agree that it is important that the unlicensed areas that have been offered for licence should be further surveyed if incentives can he found to attract companies to invest in that operation?
§ LORD DRUMALBYNMy Lords, so far as the North Sea area is concerned, I think it is probably true to say that most of the initial broad grid surveys were carried out before 1970. But that does not apply to all the areas. For example, 740 the South-West approaches were being surveyed by the Institute of Geological Sciences this year. So far as the more detailed surveys are concerned, when areas are designated for licensing, then of course intensive survey begins upon them with a view to making application for licences. There are at the present time 43 non-exclusive exploration licences issued.
§ Tim EARL OF LAUDERDALEMy Lords, does my noble friend consider that those 43 are really sufficient for the job in hand? Would he not ask his right honourable friend to consider the possibility of encouraging further seismic work by allowing companies to count that as a credit to their advantage when they apply for another licence in the next round, by offsetting it against their present work programmes, on production licence blocks or in some other similar way?
§ LORD DRUMALBYNMy Lords, I will certainly ask my right honourable friend to consider my noble friend's suggestion, but at the moment all I can say is that the system seems to be working fairly well.
§ THE EARL OF LAUDERDALEMy Lords, are 43 exploration licences really sufficient for the job?
§ LORD DRUMALBYNMy Lords, one holder of an exploration licence may be exploring in many areas. The licence is for three years and, as I say, it enables a holder to explore in any area except those places covered by production licences.
§ LORD CLIFFORD OF CHUDLEIGHMy Lords, does the recent withdrawal of the oil rig from the Bristol Channel area mean that the Government consider that there is no oil or gas in that vicinity?
§ LORD DRUMALBYNMy Lords, I should need notice of that question; but I do know that exploration is still going on there, and there has been some issue of licences in the Celtic field.
§ Loan DOUGLASS OF CLEVELANDMy Lords, is there any truth in the rumours I have heard, that after the research has been done the work is going forward much more slowly than was anticipated would be the case in the North Sea?
§ LORD DRUMALBYNMy Lords, I think the noble Lord is referring to the construction of rigs and to related work. There have been difficulties encountered, as is almost inevitable from the nature of this type of construction, but the work is going ahead.