To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what representations he has had for and against the moving of the oil and gas industry exploration appraisal and development unit to Aberdeen.

I have received a number of representations from Scottish organisations, and the matter has also been raised in discussions with the oil industry.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what time scale he envisages for the consultancy study considering the future position of the oil and gas industry exploration appraisal and development unit; when he expects to make a final decision; and if he will make a statement.

The study of the case for or against relocating the Department of Energy's petroleum engineering directorate to Aberdeen is expected to take about five months. Ministers will then be in a position to make a final decision.

Under international law, the continental shelf appertains to the United Kingdom as a whole. The reserves and production have not been divided between Scotland and England. The number of platforms presently located in the areas commonly known as the Moray Firth, the central North sea and the mid North sea high, together with my Department's provisional estimates of production in 1991 and of initial recoverable reserves discovered to date in each of these areas are shown in the table.