Asked by: Harriet Cross (Conservative - Gordon and Buchan)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the economic impact of changes in North Sea oil and gas activity on the north-east of Scotland.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The North Sea basin is mature and in long-term decline, with oil and gas production falling by around 75% between 1999 and 2024. This has affected employment and investment in oil and gas, particularly in north-east Scotland.
Britain is well-placed to mobilise our natural advantage, using the skills and expertise of our offshore workforce and supply chain to get ahead in the global race for new jobs and industries.
The North Sea Future Plan sets out how the government will deliver end to end support, including North Sea Jobs Service, helping workers, communities and businesses benefit from clean energy opportunities.
Asked by: Harriet Cross (Conservative - Gordon and Buchan)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of government policy on employment in Scotland's offshore oil and gas sector since July 2024.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The North Sea is a mature basin, and production has been in natural decline for many years. Employment in oil and gas has therefore been declining over a prolonged period. Office for National Statistics data shows direct oil and gas employment fell by around a third between 2014 and 2024.
Since 2024, the Government has set out measures to support workers and communities through the transition, including through the North Sea Jobs Service and the Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund.
Asked by: Harriet Cross (Conservative - Gordon and Buchan)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, which of his Departmental projects will be (a) reduced and (b) ended due to departmental funding being reallocated to the defence budget; and how much they will be reduced by.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The savings are a small part of DESNZ’s overall budget, which saw a significant uplift at Spending Review.
Our aim is for a large proportion of the savings to be found through efficiencies. We will set out more details in due course.
The UK clean energy economy is booming, with over £100bn of private sector investment announced since July 2024 thanks to the government’s clean energy mission.
Asked by: Harriet Cross (Conservative - Gordon and Buchan)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment has been made, through Great British Energy – Nuclear’s siting study into new nuclear development in Scotland, of Scotland’s suitability to host both Small Modular Reactors and gigawatt-scale nuclear reactors.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
In autumn 2025, Great British Energy – Nuclear (GBE-N) was commissioned by Department Ministers to assess Scotland’s potential for new nuclear power, whilst the government has also tasked GBE-N with identifying suitable sites that could host a potential large-scale new nuclear project.
The government believes that areas of Scotland that have previously hosted nuclear power stations will have many positive attributes for new nuclear.
Asked by: Harriet Cross (Conservative - Gordon and Buchan)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether the target of 600,000 annual heat pump installations by 2028 will be met.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The target of installing 600,000 annual heat pump installations by 2028 was set by the previous government.
This Government has put in place a package of policies – outlined in the Warm Homes Plan which was published earlier this year – that will help ensure that over 450,000 heat pumps are installed each year by 2030.
Asked by: Harriet Cross (Conservative - Gordon and Buchan)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the Answer of 27 April 2026 to Question 128930 relating to Great British Energy staff numbers, how many people working for Great British Energy are employed as (a) permanent, (b) temporary and (c) contingent labour staff from other public sector roles.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
(a) There are currently 30 permanent staff assigned to Great British Energy (GBE).
(b) There are 37 temporarily assigned staff from the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero, with 21 staff on loan to GBE from other departments across government and 12 secondments from various government departments and external organisations
(c) There are 23 contingent staff assigned to GBE.
GBE has had its Workforce Pay Case agreed and we expect it to significantly ramp up recruitment of permanent roles over the next financial year.
Asked by: Harriet Cross (Conservative - Gordon and Buchan)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many a) FTE roles there are at GB Energy b) GB Energy roles are permanently located in Aberdeen c) roles are solely GB Energy employees rather than seconded or equivalent from another Government or public sector departments and d) GB Energy employees previously worked in the oil and gas sector.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
There are currently over 120 people working for Great British Energy (GBE), including permanent, temporary and contingent labour staff. GBE is expected to recruit significantly more permanent roles in Aberdeen over the next financial year.
GBE’s Aberdeen HQ will host GBE's main corporate functions, supply chain activities, and major development projects including ambitions in deep-water offshore wind.
Asked by: Harriet Cross (Conservative - Gordon and Buchan)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to reduce barriers faced by households seeking to export surplus renewable electricity to the grid.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises the importance of enabling households to export surplus renewable electricity to the grid, in part to ensure that they can realise value from their investments. The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) is a government scheme which gives small-scale generators the right to be paid for the electricity they export to the grid.
The Government has recently committed to consult on changes to make it quicker and simpler for generators to be paid for the electricity they export to the grid.
Asked by: Harriet Cross (Conservative - Gordon and Buchan)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what consideration his Department has given of the potential merits of increasing the electricity export limit of 3.68 kW for domestic renewable energy systems without prior approval from the Distribution Network Operator.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department recognises that the export threshold may restrict some households seeking to maximise the benefits of generation. Ofgem, as part of its Connections End‑to‑End Review, has proposed to ask DNOs to review the threshold with the view to increase it (page 83 - https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2025-12/connections-end-to-end-review-next-steps-final.pdf). The Department is engaging closely with Ofgem, network companies and other stakeholders as this work progresses.
Asked by: Harriet Cross (Conservative - Gordon and Buchan)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department taking to support off-grid households to report (a) significant cost increases and (b) cancelled orders of domestic oil.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is closely monitoring heating oil supply and price in light of the instability in the Middle East. We are engaging daily with industry to understand the drivers of recent price movements and order cancelations. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State wrote to heating oil distributors today to remind them of their commitments under the UKIFDA Code of Practice, including the need for fair, transparent and justifiable pricing. Ministers have also spoken with the Competition and Markets Authority, who are aware of the issue and are considering the options available to them should concerns arise around unfair practices or anti-competitive behaviour.
Off‑grid households continue to benefit from broader Government support, including energy bill reductions announced in the Autumn Budget and the Warm Home Discount, which provides eligible households with £150 off their energy bills until 2030/31.