Workers in High-Carbon Sectors

Carla Denyer, the Green MP for Bristol Central, asked the Minister of State for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, Sarah Jones, what steps the government is taking to ensure a just transition for workers in high-carbon sectors. In her response, Sarah Jones stated that the government is committed to accelerating the just transition for workers, particularly in North Sea communities, to boost energy security and ensure good, long-term jobs as the country decarbonises. She said the government will work with these workers and industrial regions to develop a plan to ensure they are the ones who decarbonise the country. Carla Denyer followed up, expressing concern about the "unjust transitions" seen in Grangemouth and Port Talbot, which she said are a "damning indictment of the lack of a proactive approach to a just transition over the last few years." She called for a new approach where, instead of just de-risking private profit, there is a government-ringfenced funding package for North Sea oil and gas workers, including help with skills and job creation. Denyer asked the Secretary of State or Ministers to meet with the Chancellor of the Exchequer to ensure these ringfenced funds are secure. In response, Sarah Jones highlighted the recent end of coal-fired electricity generation and the new era of carbon capture and storage. She said the government will take a proactive approach to ensure the transition works for people and creates new jobs. Jones mentioned the support package provided for Grangemouth workers and the better deal negotiated for Port Talbot, and said the government will use various levers, such as Great British Energy, the national wealth fund, and the office of green energy jobs, to get the transition right. Charlotte Nichols, the Labour MP for Warrington North, then intervened, noting that civil nuclear has a higher employment multiplier than any other form of zero or low-carbon energy generation. She asked what specific measures the government is taking to retrain workers and transfer skills into the nuclear energy industry, to ensure workers in her constituency and throughout the country benefit from job creation in this growing sector. Sarah Jones responded that the previous government had done nothing about nuclear in 14 years, apart from coming up with a plan, and that the current government will ensure nuclear is an important part of the country's future, working to provide the right skills and jobs in the right places to deliver that.