§ Mr. Ernie Rossasked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will publish a list of the percentage uplift of oil that the British National Oil Company has taken of the total production of each North Sea oilfield in each year since the agreements were formalised.
§ Mr. Gray[pursuant to his reply, 25 February 1981, c. 376]: The percentage uplift by the British National Oil Corporation from each field is commercially confidential. In aggregate the British National Oil Corporation lifted, under the terms of its participation agreements with licensees, 4.7 per cent. of the total crude oil production from the United Kingdom continental shelf during the year 1978, 22.2 per cent. during the year 1979 and 16.4 per cent. during the year 1980. The decrease in the proportion of participation crude oil taken during 1980 as compared with that during 1979 arose because an increased amount was lifted directly by BNOC's customers and because royalty was taken in kind throughout 1980.