Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Workers in High-Carbon Sectors

Tuesday 8 October 2024 · 3 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 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Minister highlights the end of coal-fired electricity generation and the launch of carbon capture and storage initiatives.
  • Minister mentions support packages for workers affected by transitions at Grangemouth and Port Talbot.
  • Government plans to integrate nuclear energy into the country's future, focusing on skills development and job creation.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Carla Denyer Green Bristol Central
Employment Climate Energy
Context

The MP highlights the lack of proactive approach to a just transition, citing incidents at Grangemouth and Port Talbot where transitions were unjust.

Question

What steps he is taking to ensure a just transition for workers in high-carbon sectors. I thank the Minister for her response. Unfortunately, the unjust transitions we are seeing in Grangemouth and Port Talbot are a damning indictment of the lack of a proactive approach to a just transition over the last few years.

Answer from Sarah Jones

Last week was the historic week when 142 years of coal-fired electricity generation came to an end, and this week we have announced the new era of carbon capture and storage. We will work in a different way from the last Government, adopting a proactive approach to ensure that the transition works for people and that we create new jobs as well.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Meeting with Chancellor of the Exchequer or securing ringfenced funds

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Q2 Carla Denyer Green Bristol Central
Climate Energy
Context

The MP highlights the lack of proactive approach to a just transition, citing incidents at Grangemouth and Port Talbot where transitions were unjust.

Question

I thank the Minister for her response. Unfortunately, the unjust transitions we are seeing in Grangemouth and Port Talbot are a damning indictment of the lack of a proactive approach to a just transition over the last few years. Tomorrow at the Treasury, over 50 major unions and climate groups will be calling for a new approach to the energy transition where, instead of just de-risking private profit, there is a governmental ringfenced funding package for North sea oil and gas workers, including help with skills and job creation.

Answer from Sarah Jones

At Grangemouth we provided a package of support for workers, and at Port Talbot we managed to negotiate a better deal than the last Government. We will use all the levers that we have—Great British Energy, the national wealth fund, the British jobs bonus and the office of green energy jobs that we have set up—to ensure that we get the transition right.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Meeting with Chancellor of the Exchequer or securing ringfenced funds

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Q3 Charlotte Nichols Lab Warrington North
Employment Energy
Context

The MP notes that civil nuclear has a higher employment multiplier than any other form of zero or low-carbon energy generation, highlighting the need for measures to retrain high-carbon sector workers.

Question

As part of the transition from high-carbon sectors, what specific measures are the Government taking to retrain workers and transfer skills into the nuclear energy industry, thus ensuring that they benefit from job creation in this growing sector in my constituency and throughout the country?

Answer from Sarah Jones

Obviously the last Government did nothing about nuclear in 14 years, apart from coming up with a plan. We will ensure that nuclear is an important part of our country's future, and we will be working to provide the right skills and jobs in the right places to deliver that.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific measures for retraining and transferring skills into the nuclear energy industry

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