HC Deb 19 December 1975 vol 902 cc884-5W
Mr. James Lamond

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he will list the ministerial responsibilities in his Department.

Mr. Benn

The allocation of duties, subject always to my ultimate responsibility for the Department as a whole, is as follows:

  1. (i) Mr. John Smith, the Minister of State will act as my deputy across the board. He will deal in particular with oil questions and offshore aspects of gas and thus, under me, will have responsibility for North Sea operations as a whole.
  2. (ii) Mr. Alexander Eadie, Under-Secretary of State will be concerned with electricity, coal and atomic energy.
  3. (iii) Lord Lovell-Davis, Under-Secretary of State, will act as the Department's spokesman in the House of Lords and will be concerned with the gas industry and energy conservation.