Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will revoke the ban on North Sea Oil and Gas exploration.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
On 26 November, the Government published its North Sea Future Plan.
The plan implements the Government’s manifesto commitments to manage existing fields for the entirety of their lifespan, and to not issue new licences to explore new oil and gas fields.
We are committed to accelerating the transition to the North Sea’s clean energy future to harness the power of the North Sea, boost Britain’s energy security and ensure good, long-term jobs.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
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 on the potential impact of net zero policies on (a) the chemical industry on Teesside and (b) the existing industrial base.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Just last month [13th November]], I was delighted to accept invitations from the chemicals sector in Teesside, and met with over 15 firms from the sector and their supply chain. I was able to see first-hand some of the outstanding firms, facilities, projects and opportunities at Wilton International. I also held a roundtable convened by the North East of England Process Industry Cluster (NEPIC) , where I had the chance to hear personally from leaders in the chemical industry.
The Government continually assesses the impact of industrial and decarbonisation policies on the chemical industry and broader UK manufacturing sector. This includes through the Chemical Innovation Forum, which is a forum for gaining policy feedback, collaborating and understanding how best to support innovation in the industry to support growth and net zero goals. It is attended by senior-level stakeholders across the chemical industry, including companies active in the Tees Valley.
Government is committed to supporting UK industry to decarbonise and protecting and creating hundreds of thousands of jobs in regions across the UK. We are taking ambitious steps to lay the groundwork for further industry investment to reap the benefits of industrial decarbonisation. Building on engagement with industry, a refreshed Industrial Decarbonisation Plan will set the strategic direction for our approach to working with industry towards a competitive and low carbon industrial base in the UK, ensuring growth opportunities are captured in tandem with emissions reductions.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will visit Teesside to hear personally from leaders in the chemical industry on support for the industry.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Just last month [13th November]], I was delighted to accept invitations from the chemicals sector in Teesside, and met with over 15 firms from the sector and their supply chain. I was able to see first-hand some of the outstanding firms, facilities, projects and opportunities at Wilton International. I also held a roundtable convened by the North East of England Process Industry Cluster (NEPIC) , where I had the chance to hear personally from leaders in the chemical industry.
The Government continually assesses the impact of industrial and decarbonisation policies on the chemical industry and broader UK manufacturing sector. This includes through the Chemical Innovation Forum, which is a forum for gaining policy feedback, collaborating and understanding how best to support innovation in the industry to support growth and net zero goals. It is attended by senior-level stakeholders across the chemical industry, including companies active in the Tees Valley.
Government is committed to supporting UK industry to decarbonise and protecting and creating hundreds of thousands of jobs in regions across the UK. We are taking ambitious steps to lay the groundwork for further industry investment to reap the benefits of industrial decarbonisation. Building on engagement with industry, a refreshed Industrial Decarbonisation Plan will set the strategic direction for our approach to working with industry towards a competitive and low carbon industrial base in the UK, ensuring growth opportunities are captured in tandem with emissions reductions.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment he has made of (a) the adequacy of the technology selected by the Data Communications Company for the North of England smart meter rollout and (b) the potential impact on meeting installation targets.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The DCC is obligated to provide WAN coverage to 99.5% of premises across its ‘North’ region, which includes the North of England. After consultation with industry, energy suppliers can now install 4G cellular smart meter communication hubs across the whole of GB. 4G will operate in the North alongside long-range radio communications for smart meters, offering suppliers an additional option for connectivity. Additionally, a new solution using consumers’ broadband connections, with consumer consent, in areas still with no WAN coverage will be piloted early next year, with a wider rollout expected later in 2026.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate he has made of the proportion of households in the North of England that are unable to connect to the Data Communications Company smart meter network; and what steps he has taken to improve coverage in rural and hard-to-reach locations.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The DCC is obligated to provide WAN coverage to 99.5% of premises across its ‘North’ region, which includes the North of England. After consultation with industry, energy suppliers can now install 4G cellular smart meter communication hubs across the whole of GB. 4G will operate in the North alongside long-range radio communications for smart meters, offering suppliers an additional option for connectivity. Additionally, a new solution using consumers’ broadband connections, with consumer consent, in areas still with no WAN coverage will be piloted early next year, with a wider rollout expected later in 2026.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate he has made of the number of homes in each region where installed smart meters remain non-functional due to lack of network connection.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department does not hold separate figures on the number of homes with smart meters not sending automatic readings due to lack of Wide Area Network (WAN) signal. The Data Communications Company (DCC) is obligated to provide WAN coverage to 99.25% of premises across GB, with a broadband solution (with consumer consent) soon to become available that will reach more of the premises currently without WAN signal.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what plans his Department has to review the contractual and regulatory obligations of the Data Communications Company in relation to improving smart meter network connectivity in the North of England.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The DCC is required by licence conditions to seek to provide coverage to all premises where it is practicable and cost proportionate, and to assess opportunities to increase the overall level of coverage. Ofgem is responsible for regulating the DCC against its obligations.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what engagement his Department has had with (a) Ofgem and (b) the Data Communications Company to ensure that households unable to connect to the smart meter network are not excluded from competitive tariffs or financially disadvantaged.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department regularly engages with Ofgem and the Data Communications Company on the smart metering programme. The DCC is obligated to provide WAN coverage to 99.25% of premises across GB and required by licence conditions to seek to provide coverage to all premises where it is practicable and cost proportionate, and to assess opportunities to increase the overall level of coverage. DCC has introduced 4G smart metering communications across GB and is working on a new solution to enable consumer broadband connections (with consumer consent) to carry smart metering communications in this context.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
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 ensure that employees in the oil and gas industry in England have adequate skills to find new employment.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We will shortly be publishing a clean energy workforce strategy which will set out our approach to upskilling and reskilling the workforce into clean energy roles through initiatives including the Energy Skills Passport, in collaboration with industry, which is helping oil and gas workers to identify routes into roles in offshore wind including construction and maintenance.
The skills system is delivering training for existing workers looking to retrain or upskill into clean energy. Support includes the announcement of 10 Technical Excellence Colleges for construction, which will transform existing further education colleges to deliver the skills needed for growth-driving sectors like clean energy; the Growth and Skills levy to deliver greater flexibility for learners and employers in England; and Skill Bootcamps to address the need for clean energy skills where this reflects regional priorities.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of net zero policies on employment in the oil and gas sector in England.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The North Sea basin is super-mature, and production is in natural decline. Oil and gas production fell by 72% between 1999 and 2023. Direct jobs in oil and gas extraction fell by around a third between 2014 and 2023.
The clean energy transition creates an opportunity for our expert oil and gas sector to play a central role in the future of energy supply.
Robert Gordon University estimates that the renewables workforce could grow from 39,000 in 2024 to 84,000-153,000 by 2035, subject to realised deployment across those technologies and proportion of UK content delivered by the domestic supply chain.