Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to her oral contribution during the Second Reading of the Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill on 22 January 2024, Official Report, columns 42-43, on what evidential basis she stated that 200,000 jobs are supported by the oil and gas sector in the UK; and if she will publish a breakdown of (a) the calculations supporting this figure and (b) those jobs by sector.

The impact assessment for the Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill uses figures from Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) 2022 annual workforce insights report to show how many jobs are supported by the Oil and Gas sector in the UK. This report highlights that there were approximately 200,000 jobs supported by the industry in 2021 and the report includes a breakdown of jobs by sector.