HL Deb 09 July 1979 vol 401 cc748-9WA
The Earl of LAUDERDALE

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will now eliminate the special rights of the British National Oil Corporation and British Gas to submit uninvited applications for licences to explore blocks of the Continental Shelf which are not on open offer to the industry generally; and whether they will also eliminate BNOC's and BGC's pre-emptive rights in the assignment of licences.

The MINISTER of STATE, DEPARTMENT of EMPLOYMENT (The Earl of Gowrie)

The uninvited licence application procedure to which the noble Earl refers is currently under review. My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Energy has already announced in another place (Official Report 14th June, col. 305) that the pre-emptive assignments rights of BNOC and BGC have been ended.