§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will give further details of the relevant factors he described in his answer to the hon. Member for West Lothian on 12 November in relation to the Clyde oilfield development; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the representations made by the licensees.
§ Mr. GrayThe relevant factors referred to in my reply to the hon. Member on 12 November were the extent to which delaying Clyde would defer oil production from the 1980s to the 1990s, public expenditure and other economic considerations, the interests of the BNOC and its co-licensees, and the timing of orders in relation to the offshore industry's need for a continuing programme of work.
The licensees' representations were made on a commercially confidential basis and cannot therefore be disclosed.