Mr. Alan W. WilliamsTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy during his visit to North America this month, what proportion of his time he intends to devote to the promotion of the nuclear and oil industries, and what proportion of time to the energy conservation and renewable fuels industries.
§ Mr. WakehamI visited Canada and the United States from 5 June to 13 June. My visit to Canada was mainly to support the United Kingdom offshore oil and gas industry in its attempts to win business in Atlantic Canada, particularly offshore Newfoundland. I met senior members of the provincial government and oil industry representatives. In Washington, my talks were concerned primarily with energy policy in the context of climate change; that concerns all our energy-related industries. I signed a memorandum of understanding on collaboration in energy research and development, covering non-nuclear energy R and D, with Admiral Watkins, United States Secretary for Energy. While in Washington I opened the offices of BNFL Inc.—the United States subsidiary of British Nuclear Fuels plc.