§ Mr. Andrew MacKayTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on the response to the fourth landward licensing round.
§ Mr. MoynihanThe fourth landward licensing round which closed at noon on 20 June attracted 35 applications for exploration licences from 39 companies or groups of companies. I will now be considering all the applications on their merits. The new licences resulting from this round, which I hope to announce towards the end of the summer, should help to maintain the momentum of exploration onshore in Britain.