Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when he last visited (a) Aberdeen and (b) Aberdeenshire; when he last met with representatives of an oil and gas company in (i) Aberdeen and (ii) Aberdeenshire to discuss their oil and gas activities; and if he will list what companies he met with.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Details of Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many times he has (a) visited Aberdeen, (b) visited Aberdeenshire and (c) met an oil and gas company in (i) Aberdeen and (ii) Aberdeenshire to discuss their activities; and if he will list what businesses he met with.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Details of Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an estimate of the number of jobs that will be lost from the North Sea oil and gas sector, from both operator and supply chain companies, in (a) 2026, (b) 2027, (c) 2028, (d) 2029 and (e) 2030 due to the Energy Profits Levy remaining in place until 2030.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Energy Profits Levy (EPL) was introduced in 2022 by the previous government. The government considered the impact of the extension to the EPL until 31 March 2030, announced at Autumn Budget 2024, on the economy, including investment. The summary of impacts for the extension and other EPL reforms announced at Autumn Budget 2024 can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/energy-profits-levy-reforms-2024.

Employment levels in the oil and gas sector depend on a wide range of factors including global commodity prices, aggregate investment levels and exploration and development activity.

The government is committed to supporting North Sea workers and communities to transition and take advantage of the growth opportunities in clean energy. That is why the North Sea Future Plan, published at Autumn Budget 2025, announced a new Jobs Brokerage Service offering end-to-end career transition support for oil and gas workers. Earlier in October the government also published the Clean Energy Jobs Plan which sets out cross-cutting actions to deliver the skilled workforce needed to make Britain a clean energy superpower, including delivering Clean Power 2030. As part of the Plan, £20 million of funding was announced for the Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund to support workers to retrain and access clean energy roles.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Energy Profits Levy remaining in place until 2030 on trends in the levels of employment in (a) operators and (b) supply chain companies in the North Sea oil and gas sector in each year inclusive between 2026 and 2030.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Energy Profits Levy (EPL) was introduced in 2022 by the previous government. The government considered the impact of the extension to the EPL until 31 March 2030, announced at Autumn Budget 2024, on the economy, including investment. The summary of impacts for the extension and other EPL reforms announced at Autumn Budget 2024 can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/energy-profits-levy-reforms-2024.

Employment levels in the oil and gas sector depend on a wide range of factors including global commodity prices, aggregate investment levels and exploration and development activity.

The government is committed to supporting North Sea workers and communities to transition and take advantage of the growth opportunities in clean energy. That is why the North Sea Future Plan, published at Autumn Budget 2025, announced a new Jobs Brokerage Service offering end-to-end career transition support for oil and gas workers. Earlier in October the government also published the Clean Energy Jobs Plan which sets out cross-cutting actions to deliver the skilled workforce needed to make Britain a clean energy superpower, including delivering Clean Power 2030. As part of the Plan, £20 million of funding was announced for the Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund to support workers to retrain and access clean energy roles.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to Budget 2025, what estimate she has made of the potential impact of the pay per mile charge for electric vehicles on the number of sales of new (a) battery electric cars and (b) plug-in hybrid cars in each of the next five years.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government intends to create a fair motoring tax system while supporting the automotive industry and ensuring EVs remain an attractive choice for consumers.

As announced at Budget 2025, the Government is introducing Electric Vehicle Excise Duty (eVED) from April 2028, a new mileage charge for electric and plug-in hybrid cars, recognising that EVs contribute to congestion and wear and tear on the roads but pay no equivalent to fuel duty.

While it is fair for EV drivers to contribute for their car usage, the government is also committed to ensuring that driving an electric vehicle is an attractive choice for consumers. Therefore, the rate of eVED paid by electric vehicle drivers will be half the fuel duty rate paid by the average petrol/diesel driver, ensuring that it will still be cheaper to own and run an EV for the majority of EV drivers.

The Government is also providing generous additional support to incentivise the use of electric vehicles, including £1.3 billion of additional funding for the Electric Car Grant (ECG), £200 million for chargepoint rollout, and increasing the Expensive Car Supplement (ECS) threshold to £50,000 for EVs. This support will be introduced before the tax takes effect to support continued momentum in EV take-up.

The Government has set out the expected impacts from eVED and other Budget measures in the Budget 2025 Policy Costings document at GOV.UK: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/692872fd2a37784b16ecf676/Budget_2025-Policy_Costings.pdf

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the pay per mile charge for electric vehicles on sales of new i) battery electric cars and ii) plug-in hybrid cars.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government intends to create a fair motoring tax system while supporting the automotive industry and ensuring EVs remain an attractive choice for consumers.

As announced at Budget 2025, the Government is introducing Electric Vehicle Excise Duty (eVED) from April 2028, a new mileage charge for electric and plug-in hybrid cars, recognising that EVs contribute to congestion and wear and tear on the roads but pay no equivalent to fuel duty.

While it is fair for EV drivers to contribute for their car usage, the government is also committed to ensuring that driving an electric vehicle is an attractive choice for consumers. Therefore, the rate of eVED paid by electric vehicle drivers will be half the fuel duty rate paid by the average petrol/diesel driver, ensuring that it will still be cheaper to own and run an EV for the majority of EV drivers.

The Government is also providing generous additional support to incentivise the use of electric vehicles, including £1.3 billion of additional funding for the Electric Car Grant (ECG), £200 million for chargepoint rollout, and increasing the Expensive Car Supplement (ECS) threshold to £50,000 for EVs. This support will be introduced before the tax takes effect to support continued momentum in EV take-up.

The Government has set out the expected impacts from eVED and other Budget measures in the Budget 2025 Policy Costings document at GOV.UK: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/692872fd2a37784b16ecf676/Budget_2025-Policy_Costings.pdf

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when she last visited (a) Aberdeen and (b) Aberdeenshire; when she last met an oil and gas company in (i) Aberdeen and (ii) Aberdeenshire in relation to their oil and gas activities; and which businesses were met.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Chancellor engages with different stakeholders on a range of policy issues. Her last trip to Aberdeen was in August 2025 where she visited the St Fergus gas plant near Peterhead. Additionally, in March 2025, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury hosted a roundtable in Aberdeen with stakeholders from the oil and gas sector.

Details of Ministerial meetings with external stakeholders are published regularly online. The most recent publication can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/csv-preview/68d50fe09ce370a7e0a0fca0/HMT_ministerial_meeting_Apr_to_Jun_25.csv

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when she last (a) visited (i) Aberdeen and (ii) Aberdeenshire and (b) met an oil and gas company in (A) Aberdeen and (B) Aberdeenshire in relation to oil and gas activities.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Chancellor engages with different stakeholders on a range of policy issues. Her last trip to Aberdeen was in August 2025 where she visited the St Fergus gas plant near Peterhead. Additionally, in March 2025, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury hosted a roundtable in Aberdeen with stakeholders from the oil and gas sector.

Details of Ministerial meetings with external stakeholders are published regularly online. The most recent publication can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/csv-preview/68d50fe09ce370a7e0a0fca0/HMT_ministerial_meeting_Apr_to_Jun_25.csv

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with oil and gas companies, industry representatives, supply chains and the energy sector on the impact of the Energy Profits Levy on the availability of investment and skilled workforce to deliver clean power projects.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Chancellor and her Ministerial team have regular discussions with the oil and gas sector on a range of policy matters, including the Energy Profits Levy (EPL).

The Energy Profits Levy (EPL) was introduced in 2022 by the previous government.

The government remains committed to managing the North Sea in a way that ensures a fair, orderly and prosperous transition, while recognising that domestic oil and gas will continue to play a role in the UK’s energy mix for decades to come. We recognise the vital economic contribution of the sector in Noth-East Scotland, supporting over 150,000 jobs nationwide and underpinning the UK’s energy security. That is why the North Sea Future Plan, published at Autumn Budget 2025, announced a new Jobs Brokerage Service offering end-to-end career transition support for oil and gas workers. Earlier in October the government also published the Clean Energy Jobs Plan which sets out cross-cutting actions to deliver the skilled workforce needed to make Britain a clean energy superpower, including delivering Clean Power 2030.

Additionally, Autumn Budget 2025 set a clear path for the EPL to end by 2030 at the latest, or earlier if the EPL’s price floor, the Energy Security Investment Mechanism, is triggered. We have also given the oil and gas sector long-term certainty by confirming details of the future fiscal and regulatory regime, giving investors the long-term certainty and predictability they need to keep investing.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an estimate of the cost per year for a full time worker who drives (a)) a battery electric car or (b) a plug-in hybrid car living in the town of Huntly in Aberdeenshire to commute to Aberdeen City from April 2028.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government intends to create a fair motoring tax system while supporting the automotive industry and ensuring EVs remain an attractive choice for consumers.

As announced at Budget 2025, the Government is introducing Electric Vehicle Excise Duty (eVED) from April 2028, a new mileage charge for electric and plug-in hybrid cars, recognising that EVs contribute to congestion and wear and tear on the roads but pay no equivalent to fuel duty.

When eVED takes effect in April 2028, eVED rates will be set at 3p per mile for electric vehicles, which is half the equivalent fuel duty rate paid by the average petrol/diesel driver, ensuring that driving an electric vehicle continues to be an attractive choice for consumers. The rate will be set at 1.5p per mile for plug-in hybrids, recognising that they will continue to pay fuel duty on miles driven in petrol mode.

An average EV driver driving 8,000 miles per year will pay around £240 per year or £20 per month.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has made an estimate of the change in the number of jobs in the North Sea oil and gas sector from (a) operator and (b) supply chain companies in each year between 2026 and 2030.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Robert Gordon University estimates that by the early 2030s, the UK oil and gas workforce will be between 57,000 and 71,000, down from 115,000 in 2024.

The natural decline of North Sea oil and gas has seen more than 70,000 jobs lost in the last decade. The Government published its North Sea Future Plan (26 November), setting out how we will support our North Sea supply chains, protect current jobs, and secure the next generation of good jobs.

Found: membership Patricia Ferguson (Labour; Glasgow West) (Chair) Maureen Burke (Labour; Glasgow North East) Harriet Cross