Source · Select Committees · Scottish Affairs Committee

Recommendation 4

4

Implement pragmatic North Sea licensing policy and clarify additional drilling permissions for developers.

Recommendation
The Government should set out how it intends to address the issue of the North Sea oil and gas industry’s decline outstripping the scale-up of clean energy. We urge the Government to take a pragmatic approach to its licensing policy as an outcome of its consultation, Building the North Sea’s Energy Future. In its response to this report, the Government should clarify how developers may be permitted to undertake additional drilling activity under existing exploration licences. (Recommendation, Paragraph 55)
Government Response

A response document is linked to this report, dated 16 January 2026. Response attribution to this recommendation has not been verified. Read the response document ↗