HC Deb 17 May 1994 vol 243 c388W
Mr. Worthington

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what percentage of workers in the offshore oil and gas industry are not British.

Mr. Eggar

The percentage of workers in the offshore oil and gas industry in 1993 who are not British is estimated to be some 8 per cent. Details are published by my Department in the "Energy Report" volume 2, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.

Mr. Ainger

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make it his policy to withdraw from the 16th licensing round any blocks recommended for withdrawal by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee.

Mr. Eggar

I will consult the Joint Nature Conservation Committee both before and after nominations are received for the 16th round and will take into account its comments when deciding on the blocks to be offered in the round.

Mr. Ainger

To ask the President of the Board of Trade which specific conditions attached to licenses for offshore oil exploration may be made available to the public under the Environmental Information Regulations 1992 in line with paragraph 6 of theEdinburgh Gazette announcement of 26 April.

Mr. Eggar

As was the case in the 14th round, I shall judge each application for such information on its merits having due regard to the provisions of the environmental information regulations. It is my intention to make available those conditions attached to licences for the purposes of protecting the environment.

Mr. Ainger

To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) which non-governmental organisations he intends to consult prior to deciding which blocks to license in the 15th and 16th offshore licensing round;

(2) what specific plans he has to consult nongovernmental organisations before deciding which blocks to license in the 15th and 16th rounds of offshore licensing.

Mr. Eggar

My officials consulted the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and a number of fishing organisations prior to deciding which blocks to offer in the 15th round.

We have already informed over 100 organisations, including the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, environmental groups, relevant local authorities and various fishing organisations, of our plans for the 16th round. Once the nominations for the 16th round are received at the end of July, these bodies will be offered the opportunity to comment on which blocks can be offered for licence.