(Vale of Glamorgan) (Con): What
steps she is taking to support the oil and gas sector.
The Minister for Energy Security and Net Zero (): The North sea is a mature
basin and production will naturally decline in the coming years.
The Government are committed to supporting our oil and gas
industry and the energy transition, which is why we have the
North Sea Transition
Deal and have introduced the Offshore Petroleum
Licensing Bill. We want to protect investment, the 200,000 jobs
supported by the sector and the tens of billions of pounds coming
in in taxes, as well as to use the existing industry to deliver
the wider energy transition.
: The Government’s action to use
gas and oil reserves in the UK for the smooth transition to
renewable sources is important for our energy security, but also
offers great employment and wealth prospects in the process. Is
the Minister aware that Offshore Energies UK published a
workforce insight last year that highlighted that the number of
people working in the sector could be increased by 50%? For that
to become a reality, the sector needs to be stable and
competitive. What commitment can my right hon. Friend offer to
the stability and competitiveness of the sector?
: My right hon. Friend is
absolutely right. This is a declining basin, and it is so
important as we go through the transition that we do not lose the
skills and jobs of those people who are providing the oil and gas
on which we currently rely. No country is doing more to
decarbonise than we are, but we will continue to use oil and gas
for decades to come. As our production falls even more quickly
than our demand, and even more quickly than is required globally,
it is essential that we support the industry, send the signal
that my right hon. Friend suggested, and rebut the attitude of
the Labour party, which would destroy those jobs, lose the tax
and put up emissions.
