Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will clarify what transitional arrangements will be put in place to protect the skilled workforce that underpins the energy-efficiency sector and is vital to meeting the UK's goals on decarbonisation due to ECO4 ending this month without the successor scheme designed or implemented.
The government recognises that the decision to close ECO4 presents immediate challenges. In the Warm Homes Plan, we committed to supporting the workforce accessing opportunities from £15 billion of funding, regulations in the rented sector and the future homes standard.
The number of jobs supported in clean energy industries and their supply chains is estimated to increase from around 430,000 today to over 800,000 by 2030. The government is working closely with the sector to support growth.
The government has established the Warm Homes Plan Workforce Taskforce, with trade unions and industry, to facilitate the transition to clean energy sectors.