§ Mr. Kennedyasked the Secretary of State for Energy what recent evidence he has of oil companies postponing or cancelling planned investments in the North sea; and what specific evidence he has about the implications of the fall in oil prices for the rate of incremental investment.
§ Mr. Buchanan-SmithOil companies, as a matter of course, regularly review their North sea investment plans. Recently some drilling programmes have also been500W reviewed: the implications of any consideration by the operators of modifying their investment plans are not yet clear.