HC Deb 15 July 1991 vol 195 cc85-6W
18. Dr. Godman

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy, pursuant to his oral answer to the hon. Member for Greenock and Port Glasgow on Monday 17 June,Official Report, column 9, how many production licences were awarded in (a) 1990 and (b) in the current year so far; and what is the number currently being negotiated.

Mr. Moyniihan

As I indicated to the hon. Member in my answer of 17 June, important safety considerations are considered not at the initial licence award round but at the development project, annex B, or production plans stage of the licence.

In 1990, 18 development projects were approved by my Department; 12 projects have been approved up to the middle of June this year. Several other projects are presently under consideration.

Mr. Morley

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will list all blocks of the United Kingdom continental shelf which have held a presumption against oil and gas licensing on the grounds of fisheries interests.

Mr. Moynihan

Before deciding which blocks to offer in offshore licensing rounds, my Department consults the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Scottish Office Agriculture and Fisheries Department and national fishermen's organisations for advice on fishing matters.

In recent rounds, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Scottish Office Agriculture and Fisheries Department and its predecessor, the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland, have advised that certain blocks in the following quadrants should not be offered for licensing:

3, 8, 9, 11 to 14, 17, 18, 20 to 22, 30, 34, 40 to 43. 48, 52, 97, 99, 100, 107, 109, 110, 112 to 114.

It would not be appropriate to list the individual blocks concerned as fish stocks and fishing patterns vary over time within these areas. Blocks in these and other quandrants have been licensed, by agreement with the relevant fisheries Department, with conditions and restrictions on oil and gas activity to safeguard fishing interests.

Mr. Morgan

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will list all blocks within the United Kingdom continental shelf not submitted for licensing for oil and gas exploration on grounds(a) of interference with shipping and navigation, (b) of nature conservation and (c) other reasons.

Mr. Moynihan

We do not hold the information in the form requested. It is often the case, especially in areas close to the coast, that the concerns and priorities of differing interests are taken together in considering the exclusion of a block or blocks from licensing rounds.