asked the Secretary of State for Energy what percentage of exports of indigenous North Sea crude oil production is implied in the maintenance of United Kingdom self-sufficiency of oil.

North Sea oil is not capable of producing all the products we require and is not on its own the cheapest source of all those products which can be made from it. We will therefore continue to import certain types of crude oil while exporting some of our indigenous production. As I informed my hon. Friend on 25 January, the amounts of United Kingdom, continental shelf oil used at home and overseas depend upon a variety of factors and cannot be estimated reliably.