§ Mr. Laurance Reedasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what steps he has taken to prevent the blow- 442W out of under-sea oil wells in the British sector of the North Sea;
(2) whether, in view of the danger to British interests of blow-out of under-sea oil wells in sectors controlled by other Governments in the North Sea, he will seek an international agreement to deal with this matter.
§ Mr. RidleyUnited Kingdom licensees are required, under the terms of their licences, to take all practicable steps to prevent the escape of oil into the sea whether by blow-out or otherwise.
Compliance with this requirement is secured, through the Petroleum Production Inspectorate, by examination of the licensees' proposals before consent to drill and abandon is given and by inspection of operations.
I am considering the feasibility of seeking international or regional agreement on a standard code for offshore oil exploration and production operations.