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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if his Department will take steps to increase the number of green jobs in Newcastle upon Tyne Central constituency.

The Government is providing significant investment for the offshore renewable and electric vehicle industries across North East England to create high value, highly skilled green jobs for people across the region.

Funding from its Offshore Wine Manufacturing Investment Support Scheme is supporting construction of the new £130m JDR cables factory near Blyth in Northumberland, which will develop and build components for next generation wind turbines, creating 170 jobs. Its £20.9 million Town Deal for Blyth will also establish business-led skills development facilities for the offshore wind sector, providing local people with the skills they need to benefit from those job opportunities.

The Government's Getting Building Fund is supporting construction of Equinor's new Operations and Maintenance base at the Port of Tyne, which will serve the world’s biggest offshore wind farm at Dogger Bank. This is expected to generate over 200 direct jobs in the region and provide opportunities for companies at all levels of the supply chain.

Construction has also started on EV 36 Zero – a new £1 billion Electric Vehicle Hub near to Nissan’s Sunderland plant which will create around 1,000 jobs and help accelerate the UK’s journey to carbon neutrality.