Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what sector-specific support has been put in place to support the oil and gas industry during the covid-19 outbreak.

The Government has put together a far-reaching package of support to help businesses through the COVID-19 outbreak. We continue to engage extensively with businesses across all sectors, including with the oil and gas industry, to understand current challenges and consider what more we can do in support. Oil and gas staff were amongst those deemed essential workers and have therefore been supported in continuing to work safely, including having access to priority testing for COVID-19.

The Department has rapidly stood up resources to address the twin challenges of COVID-19 and the low oil price following the collapse in global demand, working closely with the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) and the sector to monitor impacts and track and mitigate any risks to critical infrastructure.

Our Manifesto included a commitment to deliver a transformational Sector Deal for the UK’s oil and gas industry. This is likely to focus on the energy transition and will be critically important for the sector as it seeks to recover from the current crisis.