Today, the new Energy and Climate Secretary, Chris Huhne, will declare proposals to strengthen ecological assessments of North Sea oil rigs in view of the BP Gulf of Mexico tragedy, but is raising the numeral from just six to nine workers.

The present six Government inspectors, based in Aberdeen, are accountable for examining and enforcing environmental standards on the 24 drilling rigs and a predicted 280 oil and gas creation equipments in the UK's part of the North Sea.

Last year, they conducted 69 examinations, out of which eight were of drilling rigs.

Last night, a Spokeswoman for the Energy Department said that the swell in workforce would bring about the number of drilling rig examinations being two folded. She did not reveal when they would be prepared.

The Gulf of Mexico disaster has centered attention on regulation of the oil industry's security and ecological performance across the globe.

Ecological activists are claiming that sterner regulations are launched mainly for deepwater drilling rigs such as the Deepwater Horizon, whose outburst resulted in the Gulf slick that normally search for oil in technically demanding regions where little is known regarding the geology.

This year, the Government decided to proffer millions of Pounds worth of tax breaks to oil firms in quest of developing the deep waters off the west coast of the Shetland Isles.