Oral Answers to Questions

Sarah Jones Excerpts

Tuesday 17th December 2024 Commons Chamber

[Ed Miliband]

My hon. Friend is right. I think I am right in saying—my hon Friend the Minister for Industry and I have had a discussion about this—that almost every constituency—

[The Minister for Industry (Sarah Jones)]

It is every constituency.

[Ed Miliband]

Every constituency has members of the MPS who are benefiting from this. I hope the Conservative party welcomes a Labour Government acting on this injustice—there is not much sign of that, though. My hon. Friend the Member for Makerfield (Josh Simons) makes the point about commemorating the work of miners, which is something that I feel strongly about and that we will pursue.

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[Euan Stainbank (Falkirk) (Lab)]

19. What discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on potential opportunities for industry under the national wealth fund.

[The Minister of State, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (Sarah Jones)]

The national wealth fund is delivering a key manifesto commitment to set up a Government-backed investor—in some ways like the sovereign wealth funds we see in other countries—that will support the UK’s industrial strategy and economic growth. It will play a central role in our clean power mission by creating jobs in rapidly growing green industries. My role sits across the Department for Business and Trade, where I work on industrial strategy, and this Department, where I work on industrial decarbonisation, so I have a unique vantage point to see the benefits of the national wealth fund and all the opportunities it will bring.

[Jayne Kirkham]

As the Minister knows, I am concerned about kick-starting floating offshore wind in the Celtic sea. The infrastructure and supply chain need building out quickly, but in a co-ordinated way, and the previous Government’s floating offshore wind manufacturing investment scheme was not enough to do that. Will the Minister please confirm that she is working with the wealth fund on a strategy and then speedy investment in ports such as Falmouth and the local supply chain, so that they are ready to take on the challenge of floating offshore wind?

[Sarah Jones]

My hon. Friend is a great champion for her area, and we have talked about the opportunities of Falmouth and the surrounding areas previously, and I am sure we will do so again. For too long, our coastal areas have lacked the jobs and opportunities they deserve, and we are determined to change that. Through the national wealth fund we will invest in our ports, and Great British Energy will look to crowd in private sector funding to emerging technologies such as floating offshore wind. We are developing our strategies and working as fast as we can.

[Lorraine Beavers]

I welcome the Government’s publication of the “Clean Power 2030 Action Plan” last week. It will mark a transformative shift towards clean energy that will bring good jobs and industry to the whole country. The plan proposes the use of the national wealth fund to explore nascent renewable generation projects. The Minister will know of the potential for tidal range on the west coast. What steps is the Department taking to explore that potential? Will she meet me to discuss the potential for tidal range projects in my constituency?

[Sarah Jones]

I would love to hear more, as I am sure would the Minister for Energy, my hon. Friend the Member for Rutherglen (Michael Shanks). We are committed to all forms of renewable energy if they are economical, which is why we ringfenced tidal in the latest contracts for difference auction, which resulted in six tidal projects being successful, securing up to 28 MW. We continue to look at what more we can do to support this more nascent technology, including the role that GB Energy can play in the future.

[Euan Stainbank]

The Government’s quick action when they took office to commission Project Willow is welcome, but confirmation of the decision by Petroineos to close the Grangemouth refinery next year has caused further concern and uncertainty throughout the workforce in the central belt. With the sustainable aviation fuel mandate starting in 2025 requiring 10% of jet fuel to be SAF by 2030, what consideration has the Minister given to using the role of the national wealth fund to support the rapid conversion of Grangemouth into a sustainable aviation fuel facility?

[Sarah Jones]

I appreciate the uncertainty faced by people in my hon. Friend’s constituency. We have Project Willow and the plan for the site’s future. A joint committee, which I co-chair, has just been set up with the Department for Transport looking at sustainable aviation fuel and other options to fund and support that, to ensure that we have that emerging industry.

[Mr Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry) (DUP)]

The fund’s title is the national wealth fund. Will the Minister outline what she intends to do to ensure that industries across the nation of the United Kingdom will benefit from it?

[Sarah Jones]

The national wealth fund makes decisions on what it funds and what it does not, but our plan is for the whole country. For too long, this country has been held back in every corner, and the national wealth fund is a really important part of the future growth of this country in Northern Ireland and everywhere else.

[Tim Farron (Westmorland and Lonsdale) (LD)]

Does the Minister agree that it is something of a tragedy that the UK, which is surrounded by the highest tidal range on planet Earth after Canada, uses so little of that for tidal and marine energy? She may agree that the reason is that while the lifetime cost of such schemes is as cheap as chips, the up-front costs are expensive. Could the national wealth fund ensure that we can build things—for example, in Morecambe Bay—that will generate secure renewable energy for all our lifetimes?

[Sarah Jones]

The hon. Gentleman puts his finger on the problem. That is what vehicles such as the national wealth fund and GB Energy are looking to resolve. We are of course open to it, and we will do what we can.

[Dr Roz Savage (South Cotswolds) (LD)]

11. Whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on nature-based solutions to help tackle climate change.

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[Andrew Pakes (Peterborough) (Lab)]

20. What assessment he has made of the potential impact of Great British Energy on job creation in industrial communities. [R]

[The Minister of State, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (Sarah Jones)]

Great British Energy will deliver well-paid jobs in industrial communities. It will own and invest in projects across the country, it will crowd in private investment, and it will develop those crucial supply chains that will make us more resilient as a country and deliver more jobs.

[Kenneth Stevenson]

I was delighted to see the Government’s commitment to reindustrialise our nation, creating thousands of jobs in the process. This is the difference that a Labour Government can make, cleaning up the mess of the Tories and putting this country back on track. My constituency of Airdrie and Shotts is at the heart of Scotland’s central belt. Once an industrial heartland, it is full of skills and potential waiting to be unlocked. Will the Minister work with me to ensure that the benefit of the significant job creation that the Government are undertaking will be felt in my constituency?

[Sarah Jones]

I will work with my hon. Friend on creating the jobs that we all want. It has been announced that Great British Energy will be located in Aberdeen, and there are two additional sites, one in Glasgow and one in Edinburgh. The national wealth fund has just announced a £20 million investment in XLCC, to support a world-leading factory in Hunterston producing cables. That will support 900 jobs. We have seen a £1.6 million investment by Sarens PSG to provide specialist equipment and skilled workers, and to set up a centre for excellence in Aberdeen. Those are the kinds of projects that we want across our communities, in his constituency and beyond.

[Andrew Pakes]

An important aspect of Great British Energy’s work will be ensuring industrial strength in all areas of the UK. Places such as Peterborough are well placed to develop high-skilled jobs and great opportunities in green hydrogen to support that transition, through the work of National Gas in Werrington and our new university campus, Anglia Ruskin University Peterborough. Does the Minister agree that the success of GB Energy will be the breadth of opportunities that it creates in places such as mine?

[Sarah Jones]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. Green hydrogen is vital, not just for the decarbonisation of heavy industry but for aviation and maritime. It has the potential to create thousands of very highly skilled jobs in every region of the country. We have already confirmed support for 11 green hydrogen projects from Cumbria to Cornwall, and from Scotland to Kent. I look forward to saying more on our hydrogen journey soon.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the shadow Secretary of State.

[Claire Coutinho (East Surrey) (Con)]

The Labour party promised 650,000 jobs through Great British Energy, but the Secretary of State has endorsed a carbon tax of £147 in 2030—double the Department’s current forecast. It would be the highest carbon tax in the world, and devastating for British industry. Can the hon. Lady confirm how many British jobs would be lost as a result?

[Sarah Jones]

I do not recognise those figures at all. I would be interested to see where she got them from—perhaps from her Twitter threads, which contain things that we do not quite recognise. We inherited a mess in this country—no stability or economic growth, and stagnation. We are fixing the foundations and putting that right. We will create hundreds of thousands of jobs in the growing green sector of the future.

[Charlie Dewhirst (Bridlington and The Wolds) (Con)]

T1. If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities.

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[Michelle Welsh (Sherwood Forest) (Lab)]

T2. My constituency has the second highest number of members on the British Coal staff superannuation scheme in the country; we have more than 1,000 members. Does the Minister agree that we need to end the injustice for all former employees on that scheme? Will she visit my beautiful constituency to meet me and members of the scheme?

[The Minister of State, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (Sarah Jones)]

I would be very happy to meet my hon. Friend and members of the scheme. I met the trustees of the scheme yesterday, and I have committed to talking to the Treasury about their proposals.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the shadow Secretary of State.

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[Andrew Cooper (Mid Cheshire) (Lab)]

Cheshire is leading the way in CCUS, whether it is in hydrogen production, where it is providing the means of transition as a new industry is established, or in hard-to-abate sectors such as glass or cement production, where CCUS is a vital decarbonisation component. Our strategy is creating jobs, growing our skills base and unlocking a low-carbon future. Does the Minister agree that it will not be possible to get to net zero without CCUS?

[Sarah Jones]

That is absolutely right.

[Steve Barclay (North East Cambridgeshire) (Con)]

The Grimsby to Walpole National Grid scheme will see pylons almost twice the height of the existing ones being placed across the flat landscape of the fens. Why does the Secretary of State think that the cost of chasing his unrealistic 2030 target should be disproportionately borne by rural communities?

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[Ian Lavery (Blyth and Ashington) (Lab)]

The Lynemouth biomass power station in my constituency has some very ambitious and exciting projects involving carbon capture and storage, but it is waiting for some major decisions by the Department. Will the Minister agree to meet me so that we can tackle these pressing outstanding issues?

[Sarah Jones]

I would be absolutely delighted to meet my hon. Friend; we can talk about data centres at the same time. Carbon capture is an incredibly important part of our future. We know that we have to have it in order to decarbonise some of our very hard-to-decarbonise industries, and I would be delighted to talk about the possible jobs that it could bring as well.

[Claire Young (Thornbury and Yate) (LD)]

Local further education colleges are actively pursuing the formation of a skills partnership to meet the opportunity and challenge of potential small modular reactor development in Oldbury in my constituency. Does the Minister welcome their proactive approach, and will she join me in meeting them to better understand the support that the further education sector needs to deliver this vital work?

[Sarah Jones]

I would be delighted to meet the hon. Member and talk about her plans.

[Gareth Snell (Stoke-on-Trent Central) (Lab/Co-op)]

What assurances can the Minister give me that energy-intensive industries in Stoke-on-Trent, such as ceramics, will benefit from the investment coming from this Government and will not get left behind in our transition to net zero?

[Sarah Jones]

My hon. Friend makes a very good point. We were talking about this issue in the Tea Room only this morning, and I will meet the ceramics sector and him first thing in the new year to talk about some of the challenges it faces. We are absolutely committed to supporting the sector.

[Carla Denyer (Bristol Central) (Green)]

Thirteen oil and gas fields have been licensed for new drilling of dangerous fossil fuels but are still awaiting final approval. The Government paused those decisions while doing a consultation, but the consultation will not change the science: if we are to meet our climate targets, those fossil fuels must stay in the ground. Will the Secretary of State do the right thing by the poorest in our country, who are always at the sharpest end of climate action, and ensure that those licences will not be granted?