Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the impact of restrictions on new North Sea drilling licences on a) domestic energy production and b) the level of reliance on imported oil and gas.

The government has thoroughly assessed the impacts of its policies in the North Sea, as set out in the government’s North Sea Future Plan. Oil and gas production is in natural decline, with a 75% reduction in production occurring between 1999 and 2024.

Assessments show that new licences to explore and potentially drill for new oil and gas fields would only make a marginal difference to overall production. It would not change the UK’s status as a net importer of oil and gas.