Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Grangemouth Oil Refinery

Tuesday 21 May 2024 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Minister for Energy Security attended a Grangemouth industrial just transition leadership forum alongside Scotland Office Ministers and Unite the union representatives on 28 March.
  • The UK Government is working with the Scottish Government and Petroineos to understand all possible options for the future of the Grangemouth refinery.
  • The Minister for Energy Security is engaged in discussions and remains in close contact with relevant parties regarding the future of the refinery beyond 2025.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Kenny MacAskill
Employment Energy
Context

The question arises from concerns about the future viability and sustainability of the Grangemouth oil refinery, including its economic impact on local communities and industrial transition.

Question

What recent discussions has she had with trade unions on the future of Grangemouth oil refinery beyond 2025?

Answer from Claire Coutinho

My Department attended the Grangemouth industrial just transition leadership forum alongside Scotland Office Ministers and representatives of Unite the union on 28 March. We remain in close contact with the Scottish Government and the owner Petroineos. My hon Friend the Minister for Energy Security and Net Zero met Scottish Government counterparts and Petroineos management on 15 May and raised the importance of working with the unions.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide specific details about tangible support or financial commitments for Grangemouth refinery beyond warm words and meetings.

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Q2 Kenny MacAskill
Scotland Brexit Business & Trade
Context

The question addresses the discrepancy between significant UK Government support for an Ineos plant in Belgium while no financial assistance is offered to maintain Grangemouth's operations, raising concerns about job losses and economic impact on Scotland.

Question

Warm words are one thing; tangible support is quite another. If Grangemouth closes, Scotland faces the possibility—indeed, the probability—of being the only major oil producing nation without refinery capacity, yet €700 million has been found by the UK Government to support an Ineos plant in Antwerp while not a penny is available for Grangemouth. Is it to be a Brexit bonus for Belgian workers and a P45 for those Scots at the refinery?

Answer from Claire Coutinho

We are working with the Scottish Government and Petroineos to understand all possible options for the future of the refinery. I remind the hon Gentleman that the Conservatives are the only major party who are backing the North sea, the biddings it brings in each year and the hundreds of thousands of jobs that it supports, while a new report last week showed that Labour's plan could lose as many as 100,000 jobs in the next five years.

Not addressed: Did not address why there is no financial support for Grangemouth compared to the Ineos plant in Antwerp. Instead focused on supporting North Sea oil and criticizing Labour's plan.

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