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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 19 November to Question 191275 on Offshore Industry: Carbon Emissions, if he will assess the (a) compatibility of the Oil and Gas Authority's remit to maximise the economic recovery of petroleum from the UK continental shelf with the UK’s decarbonisation commitments as a signatory to the Paris agreement and (b) potential merits of changing that remit to support the winding down of the petroleum industry over the next 30 years.

Maximising Economic Recovery (MER UK) contributes to the UK’s diverse energy mix, which is necessary as this country moves towards a low carbon economy.

Projections in like with CC advice show that oil and gas will remain an important component of the UK’s energy mix until 2035 and beyond. It is important that the OGA continues with the objective of MER UK to help fulfil ongoing UK energy demand needs.

The UK remains committed to the Paris Agreement and we are leading the world in our response to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s special report on global warming of 1.5°C– commissioning the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) for their advice on the implications of the Paris Agreement for the UK’s long-term emissions reduction targets, just one week after its publication. As part of this, we have requested that they provide evidence on how reductions in line with the CCC’s recommendations might be delivered in key sectors of the economy and we will consider their advice carefully when it is received.