§ Mr. Proudfootasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many gas and oil strikes have been recorded to date in parts of the North Sea under United Kingdom jurisdiction and within the United Kingdom respectively.
§ Mr. RidleyOffshore there have been 26 gas and 5 oil strikes. Four of the gas discoveries are in production and seven are being developed. Further work will be required on most of the remainder to determine their potential. One of the oil strikes is not commercial and the other four are still being evaluated
Onshore there have been 8 gas and 21 oil strikes, all small by offshore standards. The Lockton gas field in Yorkshire is expected to come into production next month. Oil is currently being produced in small quantities from discoveries in Dorset and East Midlands.