§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will estimate, on the basis of available known reserves of gas on the United Kingdom continental shelf, how long United Kingdom gas reserves would last if all the proposed gas-generated electricity stations were to come into operation using domestic reserves; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. EggarFor details of the Department's most recent estimate of UKCS gas reserves I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for York (Mr. Bayley) on 28 October 1992,Official Report, columns 680–81.
As my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade told the House on 21 October, he will be producing for the House the conclusions we draw from our estimates of reserves, and will report on the scale of gas-generated power stations in production, in build and in the planning process.