§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for Energy what is being done by his Department to co-ordinate research in the energy field and to avoid extensive overlapping by his Department and British National Oil Corporation with work already done by companies engaged in the energy sector.
§ Mr. BennThe energy research programmes of private industry are not, of course, submitted to the Government. Members drawn from private and nationalised industry do, however, sit on the advisory councils and boards concerned with energy research, and the energy related research programmes of Departments are co-ordinated by a committee chaired by my Department's Chief Scientist.
The Petroleum and Submarine Pipelines Bill, which provides for the setting up of BNOC, is at present before Parliament.