§ 44. Mr. William Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the latest position concerning total numbers engaged in North Sea oil activities in Scotland; and what would be the effect on employment prospects of a one-third cut-back in the oil extraction rate.
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§ Mr. GoldingThe number of workers employed at 30th December 1976 in companies wholly engaged in activities related to the offshore oil industry in Scotland was estimated to be 25,800. This estimate does not include workers involved in offshore related work in the companies only partially engaged in such work, nor those in the construction industry.
I cannot quantify the effect of a one-third cut-back in the oil extraction rate which bears no relation to any Government proposals. However, such a cut-back could obviously lead to a loss of jobs both in Scotland and elsewhere in the United Kingdom.