Mr Gordon Campbell: With permission, Mr. Speaker, I should like to make a statement about onshore installations for offshore oil. It is a little more than two years since the first announcement was made establishing that oil in commercial quantities had been found in the British continental shelf, off the shores of Scotland. Since then oil in considerable quantities has been found in other parts of the...
Mr Gordon Campbell: The inquiry started only in November. One of the reasons for my making this statement as soon as possible was that the parties to the inquiry should know that the Government had taken this decision. This is not detrimental to Scottish interests. We have been working out carefully the way in which the planning procedures could be streamlined in such a way that representations can be made by...
Mr Gordon Campbell: I cannot deal with my hon. Friend's final point, which does not arise on this question. It is a matter for my right hon. and noble Friend the Minister for Energy. We have estimated that by 1980 the North Sea oilfields should be providing between 70 million and 100 million tons of oil. The figure would not be as high as that in 1977 and 1978. But our object is to obtain the maximum oil from...
Mr Gordon Campbell: I give the right hon. Gentleman the benefit of saying that he has not had time to read my statement. He has had time to listen to it, but he cannot yet have read it properly. It is not a question of changing existing planning procedures, which will continue to operate in the vast majority of cases, including those connected with North Sea oil. It is a question of adding and superimposing an...
Mr Gordon Campbell: I have said in the past that the Government have to operate within the planning Acts as they stand. I have never defended those Acts. I have pointed out that they have been passed by Parliament and that the Government must act within them unless or until Parlament amends them. We are suggesting that amendments to the Acts should be made to cover a very restricted type of case. With regard to...
Mr Gordon Campbell: The hon. Gentleman seems to be in favour of the Government's taking action on the lines proposed. The categories of project associated with oil and gas would not be limited to concrete platforms. It is our intention that the Bill should cover platform building and should include installations for pipeline landing. The categories can be described exactly and investigated when the Bill comes...
Mr Gordon Campbell: I agree with my hon. Friend. I am forced to, though I know that some Labour Members are aware of the problems and would wish to assist us.
Mr Gordon Campbell: I am concerned—and it is a Scottish interest as much as an interest of the whole of Britain—that we should get the oil at the earliest possible moment. A vice-president of the Scottish National Party said in a public speech at the end of last year that all the oil and gas should be left at the bottom of the sea. I should be interested to know whether the hon. Lady agrees.
Mr Gordon Campbell: The hon. Gentleman asked about the Drumbuie situation. I wished to refer to that particularly because an inquiry has just started on it. As I said earlier, it was important that the parties to that inquiry should know as soon as possible about the Government's decision and should be given an opportunity to decide whether to continue to give evidence. It is proposed that there should be a...
Mr Gordon Campbell: I can assure my hon. Friend and the House that at present there is no method other than the deep-water concrete platform which could be used immediately in order to extract the oil in 1977 and 1978 from the deep-water fields. Steel platforms have been constructed for some time, and are being constructed, in other parts of Scotland, but they have to operate in shallower water. There are also...
Mr Gordon Campbell: The land will be acquired at market value. Those who are dissatisfied can resort to arbitration before the Lands Tribunal for Scotland.
Mr Gordon Campbell: I am glad that my hon. and gallant Friend recognises what lies behind my statement. I have been working on the matter since the October fuel crisis hit the world.
Mr Gordon Campbell: I have pointed out that the type of deep-water platform in question cannot be constructed in the Clyde area. The hon. Gentleman knows of my personal interest in conservation, particularly in the part of Scotland concerned, and he will realise that I shall not dismiss it from my mind. As regards the National Trust, I have said I will consider the question of costs incurred to date. I believe...
Mr Gordon Campbell: I have already said that I shall consider that matter. I know that the hon. Gentleman can see Doth sides of the question, because I think that he is a member of the Scottish National Trust, and he is also very concerned that we should get the North Sea oil as soon as possible. As the hon. Gentleman referred to a Norwegian design, I would make it clear that the firms in question are British. I...
Mr Gordon Campbell: The hon. Gentleman has overstated the objections. It is in the Scottish interest that we should get the jobs and the business that go with the development of North Sea oil. It need not be damaging to the Scottish environment or in other ways to obtain the oil speedily. I should point out that if there had not been encouragement for the high-risk exploration that has been taking place in the...
Mr Gordon Campbell: No. There is an equivalent tribunal in England. I was asked by a Scottish Member how land would be acquired and at what price, and I gave him a Scottish answer. As for this being a nationalisation measure, it does not arise under that heading. This is the best way of dealing with the situation. Indeed, we dealt with the provision of facilities at Peterhead harbour in a similar way—there...
Mr Gordon Campbell: My announcement makes it clear that the platforms proposed to be built in the Strathcarron area are needed to get the oil that we might otherwise lose in 1977 and 1978. I should again point out that the way that it is being done is the quickest. It is vital in the national interest to get this oil in time so that we do not lose about £100 million on our balance of payments both by building...
Mr Gordon Campbell: As soon as practicable.
Mr Gordon Campbell: Estimates of Scottish gross domestic product are based on data which are only available retrospectively on an annual basis. It is therefore not at present possible to evaluate any loss of gross domestic product during the period of the emergency measures.
Mr Gordon Campbell: It has been explained to the House that it was necessary to go on to a three-day week when the crisis started, but because of the mild weather since then we are now able to consider other possibilities.