Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions she has had with her international counterparts on the Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill.
Answered by Graham Stuart
My Rt Hon Friend, the Secretary of State, and I regularly meet with a wide range of stakeholders to discuss issues relating to energy security and net zero. This includes numerous recent discussions on the Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill, including with international counterparts.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department plans to take to help support workers affected by the transition away from oil and gas towards renewable energy sources.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The oil and gas sector supports over 200,000 jobs and is critical to a successful energy transition. That is why the Government is providing certainty to industry through the introduction of the Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill as well as agreeing the North Sea Transition Deal with industry. This includes the development of an industry-led skills passport to enable workers to move between sectors, protecting jobs and ensuring their skills, which are vital for the transition, are not lost.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment her Department has made of the implications of the Stannington gas flood in Sheffield Hallam constituency for her policies on (a) the potential impact of public infrastructure on households energy security and (b) levels of investment in the maintenance of infrastructure to prevent further crisis.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Shadow Minister (Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government works closely with industry to continually improve and maintain the resilience of old and new energy infrastructure, networks and assets, to reduce vulnerabilities and ensure an effective response to actual or potentially disruptive incidents. Ofgem ensures that Gas Distribution Networks have sufficient funding to invest in the resilience of their infrastructure, manage risk on their networks, and meet their statutory obligations, via their price control settlement.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what her Department's timescales are for completing its review of the UK's membership of the Energy Charter Treaty; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Graham Stuart
On 1 September 2023, the UK announced it would be reviewing its membership of the ECT if the modernised Treaty was not adopted by November 2023. The Government is considering the views of stakeholders in business, civil society, and Parliament as part of this process. Parliament will be informed at the earliest opportunity.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will publish a strategy on retrofitting homes and training and recruitment for that labour force.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Heat and Building Strategy set out the actions the Government is taking to reduce carbon emissions from buildings in the near term. It provides a clear long-term framework for industry to invest and deliver the transition to low-carbon heating.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 8 June 2023 to Question 186793 on Energy: Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring local authorities to report on (a) whether they generate their own power, (b) how much energy they generate per annum and (c) the mode of generation.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Whilst the Government recognises the important role that local authorities play in delivering net zero, the Government has no plans to require them to report on energy they may generate.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the answer of 24 May 2023 to Question 185627 on Offshore Industry: Skilled Workers, what recent discussions he has had with (a) employers and (b) trade unions in the offshore wind sector on the effectiveness of the Wind Energy Access Portal in facilitating re-training (a) for offshore oil and gas workers and (b) generally; and whether officials in his Department were involved in the design of the Portal.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Wind Energy Access Portal has been developed by the offshore wind sector and is partnered with RenewableUK, Global Wind Organisation, G+ and SafetyOn.
Officials are engaging with industry through the Offshore Wind Industry Council on how industry is facilitating the transition of skilled workers into the offshore wind sector.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how much energy is generated in total by councils and local authorities per annum; and if he will publish (a) a list of the councils and local authorities which generate their own power and (b) a breakdown of the amount of energy generated per annum by each of those authorities.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The information requested is not available, as local authorities are not required to report on these matters to national government.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many full-time equivalent hours officials in (a) his Department and (b) the predecessor Department have spent working on the alignment of training standards between the offshore (i) oil and gas and (ii) wind sectors in each year from 2018 to date.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Department does not hold this information. Skills and training standards are not a primary responsibility of the Department, and instead this falls to the Department for Education and is a devolved matter in Scotland and Wales.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an estimate of the number of workers in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland who hold valid certification to work in both the offshore (i) oil and gas and (ii) wind industries in the latest period for which figures are available.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government does not hold information on the number of workers who hold valid certification to work in both the offshore oil and gas and wind industries.
The offshore oil and gas sector’s trade body Offshore Energies UK produces an annual Workforce Insight Report that includes estimates of total numbers of offshore oil and gas workers. Their 2022 report can be found here: https://oilandgasuk.cld.bz/Workforce-Insight-2022-OEUK.