§ Mr. Skinnerasked the Secretary of State for Energy what steps he is taking in order to control the depletion rate of natural gas; and if he will make a statement.
§ Dr. J. Dickson MabonNearly all the gas so far discovered in the United Kingdom sector of the North Sea is under contract to British Gas which has frequent discussions with my Department on gas depletion. This will continue to be a major topic at our annual consideration of the Corporation's corporate plan. As the Frigg and Brent fields come on stream gas supplies should continue to322W rise until the early 1980s, displacing imported oil. Thereafter growth in gas availability is expected to be related broadly to premium demand.