§ Mr. Ogdenasked the Minister of Power how many zones are available for the exploration for oil or natural gas in the Irish Sea; how many have been allocated and to whom; and if he will make a statement on the progress of such exploration in this area to date.
§ Dr. BrayApplications were invited in 1965 for 65 Blocks amounting to about 5,000 square miles off the coast of Great Britain from the Solway Firth to North Wales. Five Blocks, amounting to some 500 square miles, have been licensed to Gulf Oil (Great Britain) Limited.
Some seismic surveys of the Irish Sea have already been carried out.