§ Mr. Spearingasked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement about the International Energy Agency's reviews of the United Kingdom's energy programme, including energy research, development and demonstrations.
§ Mr. BennThe International Energy Agency's reports on the United Kingdom are part of the Agency's annual review process designed to provide a thorough and systematic assessment of all IEA member country national energy programmes and policies on the basis of common criteria and to identify areas in which programmes might be improved. The reports are based on information provided by the United Kingdom and discussed in committee under rapporteurs who are responsible for producing the final report. The recommendations made in the reports are those of the rapporteurs alone and while we have agreed to study them with care as a helpful contribution to our thinking, they do not involve any commitment for Her Majesty's Government either as a whole or in detail.
The Standing Group on Long-Term Co-operation report assesses the United Kingdom's contribution to the achievement of the overall IEA objective to hold oil imports to not more than 26 million barrels per day in 1985. Although we are not entirely happy about the balance of the report on the United Kingdom we accept that it is difficult to cover the complex issues fully within such short documents. The report generally represents the position at the end of 1976, although some account has been taken of measures in force by mid-1977. In particular, certain new measures have been introduced which overtake some of the comments in Section III (Policy Recommendations). These include the energy conservation measures announced in the House on 12th December 1977—[Vol. 941, cols. 30–33]—and the further conservation measures announced in the April 1978 Budget speech. In addition, the sixth licensing 2W round has now been announced, opening about 40 new blocks to application.
The review of national energy research and development programmes is the first to be undertaken under the auspices of the IEA. The report on the United Kingdom is based on statistics which are now nearly 12 months old and a number of new research and development programmes have been initiated since it was prepared.
I believe that publication of these reports will be a useful contribution to the general debate on energy. I am therefore arranging to have them deposited in the Library of the House.