§ Mr. Wrigglesworthasked the Secretary of State for Energy what number of drilling rigs he estimates will be required to carry out North Sea oil work in the next decade.
§ Mr. John SmithI do not think that a useful estimate could be made of the likely requirement over the next decade. In practice the number of rigs employed will reflect the number of licences on262W which active exploration programmes are outstanding, and this in turn will depend upon how many new licences are awarded in the next five years or so.