§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for Energy whether the Oil and Gas Platford Committee have secured additional work for the steel oil platform contractor, Laing Offshore, at Graythorp; and how many men are likely to be laid off.
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§ Mr. BennThe new Offshore Tripartite Committee which met for the first time on 24th February is currently seeking ways of ensuring continuity of employment in all sectors of the offshore industry, including Laing Offshore, at Graythorp. The Committee will naturally do all it can to alleviate the problems caused by the present hiatus in platform ordering, but no additional work for any platform or module fabrication yard has yet arisen as a result of the work of the Committee. The management at Graythorp has indicated that the present work force of around 1,750 will be reduced to about 500 on completion of the present platform order in July 1976 if further work is not secured for the yard.
§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for Energy how many meetings have been held by the Oil and Gas Platform Contractors Committee since its formation; what results have been achieved; and whether the Committee proposes to issue a report.
§ Mr. BennThe new Offshore Tripartite Committee has met twice since it was set up early this year but it is too early to report any positive results. It is not intended that the Committee will issue formal reports, although Press statements will be issued from time to time as appropriate.
§ Mr. Gordon Wilsonasked the Secretary of State for Energy how many modules for platforms were ordered in 1975; and of these how many were ordered from locations in Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland and abroad.
§ Mr. BennThe total for the United Kingdom sector of the North Sea was 78, made up as follows:
Scotland 19 England 36 Wales 0 Northern Ireland 0 Abroad 23