§ Mr. Aingerto ask the President of the Board of Trade what advice he received from the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and the Countryside Council for Wales before inviting applications from oil companies for blocks in watery areas in the latest onshore oil licensing round. [2854]
§ Mr. PagePrevious practice regarding onshore licensing has been to offer all unlicensed onshore areas, including watery areas, in each licensing round. Watery areas have attracted very few applications, none in the last two rounds, and environmental and other bodies interested in these areas were consulted only after applications had 823W been received and on a case-by-case basis. It was felt that to consult over areas that were—on the basis of previous experience—unlikely to be the subject of applications would place an unnecessary burden on the organisations consulted. For this reason, neither the Joint Nature Conservation Committee nor the Countryside Council for Wales was asked to advise on the watery areas before the invitation to apply for licences in the seventh round of onshore licensing was announced.
After the announcement, it became clear that a number of companies were interested in exploring in the watery areas and the views of the JNCC, and CCW were therefore sought. Consultation with these bodies over blocks on offer in the seventh round continues.
§ Mr. AingerTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the organisations that have communicated their objection or concern about the latest onshore oil licensing round covering watery areas. [2851]
§ Mr. PageThe DTI consulted over 90 organisations following the offer of watery areas in the seventh onshore oil and gas licensing round. Those on the following list have either objected or expressed varying degrees of concern. Applications were received for three of the areas, the Solway firth, the Minches and the Ribble estuary, and 12 of the organisations listed have expressed an interest in these.
Organisations that have communicated their objections or concern about the latest onshore licensing round covering watery areas.
- Argyll and Bute Council
- Carmarthen Bay Forum
- Cefn Sidan Community Council
- Countryside Council for Wales
- Cumbria County Council
- Cumbria Wildlife Trust
- Dumfries and Galloway Regional Council
- Dyfed County Council
- Dyfed Wildlife Trust
- Eastern Sea Fisheries Joint Committee
- Essex County Council
- Essex Wildlife Trust
- Friends of Cardigan Bay
- Friends of the Earth Cymru
- Fylde Borough Council
- Gwent Wildlife Trust
- Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust
- Highland Regional Council
- Humberside County Council
- Isle of Wight Council
- Joint Countryside Advisory Service
- Kent Trust for Nature Conservation
- Lancashire County Council
- Lancashire Wildlife Trust
- Lincolnshire County Council
- Llanelli Borough Council
- Lothian Regional Council
- Merseyside Development Corporation
- Metropolitan Borough of Sefton
- Metropolitan Borough of Wirral
- Norfolk Wildlife Trust
824 - Pembroke, Carmarthen and West Glamorgan Green Parties
- Port of London Authority
- Royal Society for Nature Conservation (The Wildlife Trusts)
- Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
- Shetlands Islands Council
- South Pembrokeshire District Council
- South Wales Sea Fisheries Committee
- Strathclyde Regional Council
- The Clyde Fishermen's Association
- The Fishermen's Association Limited
- The Lincolnshire Trust for Nature Conservation
- The National Trust (Whiteford Burrows Advisory Committee)
- The Scottish Fishermen's Federation
- The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust
- Yorkshire Wildlife Trusts