Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will assess the effect of the decision to permit the development of the Alligin oil field in the North Sea on the UK's (a) carbon emissions and (b) ability to fulfil its commitments as a signatory to the Paris agreement on climate change.

The decision to permit new oil and gas developments in the UK Continental Shelf is a matter for the independent regulator, the Oil and Gas Authority. In the UK, we have been producing oil and gas from offshore fields for more than 50 years and this new field will contribute to the UK’s diverse energy mix as we transition to a low carbon economy.