Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of greenhouse gas emissions from the burning of North Sea oil and gas reserves when considering whether to grant new oil and gas licence areas.

Emissions from UK oil and gas extraction are accounted for in our legally-binding carbon budgets. Projected future emissions from all licensing rounds are incorporated into the offshore sector’s North Sea Transition Deal commitments. The sector’s progress against these targets is monitored by the North Sea Transition Authority.

‘Scope 3’ emissions from the burning of oil and gas are accounted for in the country in which they are used, in line with guidance from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Emissions will be reduced by reducing our consumption of fossil fuels, not by placing restrictions on our oil and gas industry.