Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Wansbeck)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to publish the North Sea Transition deal; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
We are working closely with the offshore oil and gas sector to agree a transformational North Sea Transition Deal, which we have committed to deliver within this Parliament.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Wansbeck)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure that offshore oil and gas workers in north east England made redundant during the covid-19 outbreak are offered support to re-train for work in the offshore wind industry.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
The Government is closely monitoring developments related to potential impacts on the upstream oil and gas industry and is in regular contact with a range of stakeholders from the sector.
In response to the pandemic, we have announced an unprecedented financial package to support businesses, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
In the Offshore Wind Sector Deal, the offshore wind sector committed to developing an Offshore Energy Passport (recognised outside the UK) to accredit offshore workers and facilitate job-mobility between offshore renewable and extractive industries. The sector has established an Investment in Talent Group, supported by a skills professional, who will identify skills needs across the sector, and develop curricula and accreditation to deepen the skills base.
The Green Jobs Taskforce, which my Hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Apprenticeships and Skills and I chair, forms part of the Government’s ambitious plan to build back greener and achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
Its aim is to focus on the immediate and longer-term challenges of delivering skilled workers for the UK’s transition to net zero including supporting workers in high carbon transitioning sectors, like oil and gas, to retrain in new green technologies. This will also be a key aim for the upcoming North Sea Transition Deal.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Wansbeck)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent estimate he has made of the number of jobs that will be created in the offshore wind industry and its supply chain in (a) the North East, (b) England and (c) the UK in each year to 2030.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
The number of jobs supported by the sector between now and 2030 will depend on the rate of build, the profile and level of investment, and the level of UK content in the supply chain.
The Department has not made estimates on a regional or National basis. The offshore wind sector could support around 60,000 direct and indirect UK jobs by 2030, on the basis of 40GW of offshore wind being deployed, and the sector deal raising UK content in new projects to the target of 60%.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Wansbeck)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether officials from his Department attend meetings of Oil and Gas UK’s Recovery Group.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
We welcome the fact that Oil and Gas UK (OGUK) has established a group to address the recovery from the coronavirus pandemic and the low oil price. This is a trade association initiative, and as such, the Government is not a member of the group. However, as part of our engagement with a range of sectors during the pandemic, we have held regular meetings with OGUK, at both official and ministerial levels, where issues affecting the industry during this crisis are discussed.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Wansbeck)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of developing work hubs in towns to (a) support remote working and (b) increase opportunity when people apply for work.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Government recognises that access to flexible working practices, including remote working, is key to helping many workers enter and remain in the labour market. There is currently a legal framework in place that grants all employees with 26 weeks’ continuous service with their employer the statutory right to request flexible working, which includes working remotely.
As part of the Government’s Towns Fund programme, the 101 towns selected for “Town Deals” are each developing their own proposals for investment of up to £25m, or £50m in exceptional circumstances. Regeneration and skills are key themes of the Towns Fund and it is possible that some towns may wish to propose work hubs or similar shared spaces as part of their plans.
In our manifesto we committed to further encouraging flexible working and consulting on making it the default unless employers have good reasons not to.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Wansbeck)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the number of employees that are furloughed under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme that are being consulted on redundancy.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Department does not hold statistics on the number of employees that are furloughed who are being consulted for redundancies or those businesses using the job retention scheme that are planning or have already made employees redundant.
The legal position in relation to redundancy and dismissal remains the same whether or not an employee has been furloughed. Any redundancy process should be fair and reasonable with appropriate equalities considerations. Employees with the necessary qualifying service who believe that they have been unfairly selected for redundancy, or that the redundancy was unfair in some other way, may be able to complain to an employment tribunal.
As per the latest updates to the guidance for the Coronavirus Job Retention scheme, grants cannot be used to substitute redundancy payments. Please visit the gov.uk page for updates to the scheme: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wage-costs-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Wansbeck)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the number of businesses in receipt of grant funding under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme that are consulting their workforces on redundancy.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Department does not hold statistics on the number of employees that are furloughed who are being consulted for redundancies or those businesses using the job retention scheme that are planning or have already made employees redundant.
The legal position in relation to redundancy and dismissal remains the same whether or not an employee has been furloughed. Any redundancy process should be fair and reasonable with appropriate equalities considerations. Employees with the necessary qualifying service who believe that they have been unfairly selected for redundancy, or that the redundancy was unfair in some other way, may be able to complain to an employment tribunal.
As per the latest updates to the guidance for the Coronavirus Job Retention scheme, grants cannot be used to substitute redundancy payments. Please visit the gov.uk page for updates to the scheme: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wage-costs-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Wansbeck)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the number of businesses that are in receipt of grant funding under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme that have made employees redundant to date.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Department does not hold statistics on the number of employees that are furloughed who are being consulted for redundancies or those businesses using the job retention scheme that are planning or have already made employees redundant.
The legal position in relation to redundancy and dismissal remains the same whether or not an employee has been furloughed. Any redundancy process should be fair and reasonable with appropriate equalities considerations. Employees with the necessary qualifying service who believe that they have been unfairly selected for redundancy, or that the redundancy was unfair in some other way, may be able to complain to an employment tribunal.
As per the latest updates to the guidance for the Coronavirus Job Retention scheme, grants cannot be used to substitute redundancy payments. Please visit the gov.uk page for updates to the scheme: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wage-costs-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme.