§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Energy what assessment he has made of the contribution of British university research to the development of North sea oil.
§ Mr. GrayAn assessment of the contribution of British universities research to the development of North sea oil would be a large undertaking and has not been made by my Department, nor are there plans to do so.
Research relevant to North sea developments may be carried out in university departments of the earth sciences or departments of mechanical, electrical, civil and chemical engineering. Results of research are generally published in the scientific and technical literature and may be used by oil companies, manufacturers, service companies, designers or certifying authorities. It is 125W possible that most universities and polytechnics in the country have carried out research which could have been used in North sea oil development.