§ 73. Mr. Robert Hughesasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the number of new jobs associated with North Sea oil accruing to areas covered by Aberdeen employment exchange; and which companies are providing this employment.
§ Mr. Chichester-ClarkAny estimate of the additional jobs which will arise from North Sea oil must be subject to appreciable margins of error. However, we are aware of various expansions which are expected to increase employment on such activities in the Aberdeen employment exchange area from its present total of around 1,400 to about 2,600 within the next two years. In addition, a substantial number of jobs are being created by infrastructure investment in support of North Sea oil activities. Information about individual employers is often supplied in confidence and I would not feel justified in publishing it.