§ Mr. Campbellasked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement about his proposals for the sixth round of offshore petroleum production licensing.
§ Mr. BennI have today published a consultative document setting out the arrangements I propose for the sixth round, copies of which have been placed in the Library of the House. Copies of the document are also available in the library of my Department at Thames House South, Millbank, London, SW1P 4QJ.
I shall be writing to the United Kingdom Offshore Operators Association, the Confederation of British Industry and the trade unions to suggest consultations on the basis of the document. I hope to complete the consultations early in June.
§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he proposes to make carried interest on a voluntary basis a term of the sixth licensing round.
§ Mr. BennYes. The consultative document published today about the sixth round arrangements proposes that applicants should be able to include in their applications offers to meet some or all of BNOC's share of exploration and appraisal costs.