HC Deb 29 January 1975 vol 885 cc177-8W
Mr. Gordon Wilson

asked the Secretary of State for Energy, what studies have been commissioned by his Department at the Offshore Supplies Office into the industrial benefits and application which can be gained by the Scottish engineering industry from the development of Scotland's offshore oil resources.

Mr. John Smith

None. The relocation of the headquarters of the Offshore Supplies Office (OSO) in Glasgow has, however, improved the service which the OSO is able to provide for the Scottish engineering industry.

A major study of the impact of oil-related work on the Scottish economy including the engineering industry is being carried out by the Department of Industry's office for Scotland. The study has been commissioned by the Oil Task Force on which are represented the OSO, the Scottish Office and the Department of Industry. An article on the study will appear in the next issue of the Scottish Economic Bulletin, Additionally, the OSO is represented on the steering committee that controls studies into the onshore impact of North Sea oil which have been commissioned by the Scottish Economic Planning Department.

Mr. Gordon Wilson

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how many Scottish companies have established a presence in offshore oil markets worldwide as a direct result of initiatives of the Offshore Supplies Office since its inception.

Mr. John Smith

The Offshore Supplies Office provides help, advice and encouragement to forward-looking British firms which wish, either on their own or in partnership with others, to establish themselves in the offshore petroleum market. Provided they are ready to work hard at it, there is no reason why a considerable number of British firms, including Scottish ones, should not be successful either in entering this market or in expanding British capabilities that already exist in it. The part played in this process by the Offshore Supplies Office is not precisely quantifiable, but I believe that it is important and worth while.