asked the Secretary of State for Energy what control he intends to exercise over oil extraction and depletion rates by secondary and tertiary recovery techniques in the North Sea; and whether he will make a statement.

Although precise figures in the form requested are not available, I append tables that have been supplied to me by the Electricity Council and British Gas Corporation.

My right hon. Friend said in answer to a Question on 6th December that he proposed to take full powers to control the rate of oil production from the North Sea, and that in applying controls he would have regard to the technical circumstances of the fields involved. It is not possible at this stage to indicate the precise use of the powers in relation to the various recovery techniques.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is his latest estimate of the total production of North Sea oil.

My Department's current estimates of recoverable reserves and annual production of oil from the United Kingdom sector of the Continental Shelf remain within the ranges published in the report to Parliament in May.