Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department expects that new gas and oil produced in the North Sea will be allocated for domestic use.

The UK is a net importer of both gas and oil. Gas produced in the UK is the equivalent to about half of our demand; offshore crude production is equivalent to around 90 per cent of refinery demand (5-year average 2018-2022). However, due to UK refinery specifications and global market conditions, around 80% of the oil produced in the UK is refined overseas into the products demanded by the UK market. It is not desirable to force private companies to “allocate” oil and gas produced in the North Sea for domestic use.