Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate she has made of how the number of people employed in the UK onshore wind industry may be affected by the removal of the wind energy subsidy.

It is very difficult to predict exactly how much of the onshore wind pipeline would have come forward without the measures proposed to close the Renewables Obligation to onshore wind, and therefore to make an assessment on jobs affected.

We will consider carefully the level of investment developers are likely to bring forward under proposals announced on 18^th June.

We currently have enough projects in the pipeline to meet our 2020 renewable electricity objective of between 11-13GW of onshore wind capacity while remaining within the limits of what is affordable. This pipeline of projects will deliver new jobs across the UK.