§ Mr. SpellarTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what action he is taking to ensure that vessels and equipment for the new offshore Atlantic oil fields are built in Britain.
§ Mr. EggarA number of the oil and gas developments in the Atlantic are likely to use floating production facilities and my Department established a working group last year to assess the demand and United Kingdom companies' ability to compete for these facilities. The group was also asked to identify steps to strengthen United Kingdom competitiveness and its recommendations are being pursued with the industry. As a result of this work, the competitive position of United Kingdom companies has already improved.