HC Deb 08 June 1972 vol 838 cc157-8W
Mr. Eadie

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many oil refineries are in production in this country; what was the estimated capital cost of their installation; and what is the total labour force of each.

Mr. Emery

There are 23 refineries, representing a capital investment of more than £600 million in the past 10 years. Details of the labour force at individual refineries are collected in confidence, but the number of operatives in petroleum refining in 1970 totalled 12,300. It would be misleading to assume that any new refinery would offer the same average employment as existing refineries. The number of jobs available in a modern refinery is less than in certain of the older establishments, but all this must depend on the size and the complexity of the particular project.