§ Mr. DafisTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the implications of his policy and targets in respect of carbon dioxide emissions for proposals to extract oil in the Atlantic frontier area. [10658]
§ Angela EagleThe Government have set themselves challenging domestic target to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 20 per cent. from 1990 levels by 2010 and we are currently looking at the policy options which could contribute towards that target.
The most recent projections for carbon dioxide emissions, published in energy paper No. 65, take account of likely developments in oil and gas production in the United Kingdom. In 1995, carbon dioxide emissions from oil and gas production accounted for 3.5 per cent. of national carbon dioxide emissions. Any oil production which might take place in the Atlantic frontier is not expected to result in a significant increase or decrease in national carbon dioxide emissions.