Asked by: Harriet Cross (Conservative - Gordon and Buchan)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on (a) the use of the Barnett consequential funding provided in the 2021-22 financial year for cladding remediation, (b) the identification of buildings requiring cladding remediation work in Scotland and (c) whether additional funding will be made available through future Barnett consequentials for this purpose.
Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)
The identification of buildings requiring cladding remediation work in Scotland is a devolved matter, and the Scottish Government has recently introduced its own Cladding Remediation Programme for Scotland.
How the Scottish Government chooses to use its block grant funding, and any additional funding arising from Barnett consequentials is a matter for the Scottish Government.
In the recent Budget, the Chancellor announced that the Scottish Government will be provided with a £47.7 billion settlement in 2025/26 – the largest in real terms in the history of devolution. This includes a £3.4 billion top-up through the Barnett formula, with £2.8 billion for day-to-day spending and £610 million for capital investment.
Asked by: Harriet Cross (Conservative - Gordon and Buchan)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what steps his Department is taking to help North Sea workers to transition to green economy jobs in Scotland.
Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)
Scotland’s world class offshore oil and gas workers should be at the forefront of the race to clean power.
The UK Government is partnering with the Scottish Government, Offshore Energies UK, Renewable UK, OPITO, Global Wind Organisation (GWO) and other key industry stakeholders to deliver a skills passport for the clean energy transition in Scotland. This will help workers transition from carbon-intensive industries to clean energy sectors.
Our goal to become a clean energy superpower will create hundreds of thousands of new jobs, many of which I am pleased to say will be based in Scotland. With GB Energy also headquartered in Aberdeen, Scotland and the Northeast will be at the heart of the UK energy sector.
Asked by: Harriet Cross (Conservative - Gordon and Buchan)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether her Department is taking steps to increase the level of research and development funding offshore green energy projects in Scotland.
Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)
To achieve the UK Government’s Mission of becoming a clean energy superpower by 2030, the UK Government is establishing Great British Energy, an operationally independent company investing in and driving projects forward across all parts of the UK. The UK government will capitalise Great British Energy with £8.3billion of new money across this Parliament, with Scotland well-placed to benefit in terms of investment and the creation of high-quality jobs. This comes in addition to the record-breaking Contracts for Difference Allocation Round 6, which has committed £1.555 billion for investment in clean energy projects, including numerous offshore wind projects.
In her recent budget, the Chancellor announced a highest-ever £20.4bn investment in UK R&D to drive economic growth, and our clean energy and other missions.
Asked by: Harriet Cross (Conservative - Gordon and Buchan)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions she has had with the Scottish Government on regional-specific skills development funds for workers transitioning from the oil and gas industry.
Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)
Scotland’s world class offshore oil and gas workers should be at the forefront of the race to clean power.
The UK Government is partnering with the Scottish Government to deliver a skills passport for oil and gas workers as part of the clean energy transition in Scotland. This will be delivered in collaboration with key industry stakeholders, including Offshore Energies UK, Renewable UK, OPITO, Global Wind Organisation (GWO).
Research from Offshore Energies UK shows that 90% of oil and gas workers have transferable skills for offshore renewable jobs. The development of this passport will help workers utilise their skills to play a vital role in the transition from carbon-intensive industries to clean energy sectors for workers across all regions of Scotland.