asked the Secretary of State for Energy (1) where and when he expects the first offshore oil from the Argyll field to be landed;(2) when and where he expects the first offshore oil to be landed in Scotland.

The first major oilfield to come on stream is expected to be the Forties field, later this year. Its oil will be landed by pipeline at Cruden Bay in Aberdeenshire, and taken by landline to the Grangemouth refinery.The licensees of the Argyll field have examined the possibility of landing their oil on the east coast of Scotland, but have concluded that the problems associated with berthing and unloading the specially adapted tankers involved meant that a suitable terminal point could not be found for the appropriate period of time. They now expect to land the first oil at a refinery in the Thames Estuary, later this spring.