Select committee: Environmental Audit Committee

Conclusion 37

4th Report - Accelerating the transition from fossil fuels and securing energy supplies Published 5 Jan 2023 Paragraph 206

Environmental Audit Committee Accelerating the transition from fossil fuels and securing energy supplies All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗

Conclusion (the committee's words)

Offshore oil and gas workers have many of the skills that will be needed elsewhere in the economy as the UK accelerates the energy transition. It is vital that Government works with training bodies, unions and the industry to offer adequate support in the transition to retrain and reskill for jobs in the net zero economy. The industry predicts that 45,000 jobs will be lost in oil and gas by 2030, but the North Sea Transition Deal has placed no commitments on companies to support workers in reskilling for new opportunities in the new offshore low-carbon economy. Stakeholders have also raised concerns that workers are currently having to fund their own retraining.

From: Environmental Audit Committee, 4th Report - Accelerating the transition from fossil fuels and securing energy supplies (HC 109), paragraph 206, 5 January 2023

Government response

The government responded to the whole report on 23 March 2023 (deadline 5 March 2023).

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The Government welcomes the Committee's report and responds mainly by pointing to existing schemes, targets and planned consultations, while declining several recommendations, including a tax allowance for renewable generators and ringfencing Energy Profits Levy revenue for energy efficiency.

On renewable generators' tax relief, it states it "does not accept this recomsmendation" [sic], citing support through Contracts for Difference. On the Energy Profits Levy, it has "considerable fiscal sustainability concerns" about hypothecating revenue for energy efficiency.
On green mortgages, it agrees lenders have "an important role to play" but will publish a response only once policy is "resolved", giving no date. It intends to consult on Energy Performance Certificate and wider buildings framework reforms in 2023.
On the North Sea, it considers the Transition Deal targets "sufficiently ambitious" and says it does "not propose reopening this deal for negotiation", though it will monitor progress closely, including whether "further steps may be necessary".
On energy efficiency funding, it points to £6.6 billion this Parliament and £6 billion of new funding "from 2025 to 2028". It intends to launch ECO+ in spring 2023, "proposed to be worth £1 billion over three years".

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