Since the last Energy Security and Net Zero oral questions, the Government have confirmed that rooftop solar panels will be standard for all new build homes, delivered the first 11 solar on schools projects, scrapped the absurd 1-metre heat pump rule, secured Royal Assent for the Great British Energy Bill and, alongside Ofgem, delivered compensation for 40,000 victims of the prepayment meter scandal that happened under the last Government.
The east of England has a unique energy mix from offshore wind, hydrogen and nuclear. I welcome the game-changing investment in Sizewell C today. Can I ask specifically about wind? A new report from EastWind and Opergy says that in the east of England, we need more than 6,500 extra offshore wind farm workers. Does the Secretary of State agree that the east of England is central to our energy mission, and can he outline how we will deliver those skilled jobs?
The east of England will be a clean energy powerhouse for the country. My hon. Friend raises an important issue about workforce, and we will be publishing the workforce plan soon.
T3. I forgot to say this earlier, Mr Speaker: a very happy birthday from me and my constituents.I commend the Secretary of State for seeing the need to reform our energy sector, given that people across north Wales are currently paying some of the highest energy bills in the country. Will he assure me that any proposed alternative to the current energy model will not put any one nation or region at a relative disadvantage?
The North sea’s future lies in clean energy, but despite the UK’s billing as a wind superpower, we still import most of our wind turbine components while communities around the North sea are losing jobs. Trade unions and industry are united in calling for £1.1 billion a year to build up domestic renewables manufacturing, but the Chancellor has committed barely half that. Will the Secretary of State work with his Cabinet colleagues to secure the investment that is needed to realise the job-creating potential of the green just transition?
The hon. Lady is absolutely right. We are trying not just to build the renewables that we need for the future, but to bring the good jobs, the manufacturing and the industry along with them. The Prime Minister has announced £200 million of support for supply chains through Great British Energy, and there will be much more to come. We are also working individually with projects and developers to ensure that we bring the jobs here, and that is why the clean industry bonus is so important.
T5. Over recent months I have received numerous emails from constituents in Hade Edge expressing concern about repeated energy outages. The most recent incident occurred on 26 May, affecting 389 customers. What steps are the Government taking to ensure that energy suppliers such as Northern Powergrid invest in upgrading their infrastructure so that communities like Hade Edge no longer have to worry about outages?
My hon. Friend raises an important point. The UK’s energy grid is very resilient, but we are investing to make sure that remains the case in the decades ahead. Ofgem requires transmission owners and distribution network operators to make sure that there is an efficient, economic and co-ordinated system of electricity transmission in the country—and to make sure that it works—but if he wishes to raise any specific issues, I would be happy to hear from him.
T2. On 21 May, the Government published their working paper on community benefits, but contributions are unlikely to be made mandatory before a decision is made about the huge Botley West plant in my constituency. Does the Minister agree that a responsible developer would offer my constituents a level of benefit in line with that proposed by the Government?
Yes, and I was grateful for the opportunity to meet the hon. Gentleman recently to discuss exactly those points. We encourage all developers to provide a range of local community benefits, and we are consulting on whether that should go further, but in the meantime we want to see community benefit schemes that are as strong as possible for all energy projects, right across the country.
T6. Happy Labubu birthday, Mr Speaker! Our most climate-friendly nations require investment to adapt to the effects of climate change, but sadly a number of them are facing a debt crisis and are spending a lot of money on paying sky-high interest rates to lenders. Given that 90% of the debt contracts are governed by English law, will the Government ensure that private lenders take part in debt relief schemes in order to tackle the climate emergency effectively?
This is the subject of ongoing discussions between our Department and, in particular, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: we want to ensure that we are not giving with one hand and taking away with the other. That is part of the remodelling that will enable us to supply international climate finance to the people who need it most.
T4. I wish you a happy birthday, Mr Speaker. In its manifesto last year, the Scottish Labour party promised to create 69,000 Scottish jobs in the clean energy industries of the future, but on “The Sunday Show” the Scottish Labour leader was unable to answer any questions about that. May I ask how many jobs have been created so far, how this is progressing, and when the target will be met?