Written questions by Holden.

What assessment he has made of the impact of the North Sea oil and gas sector on employment and economic growth; and what steps he is taking to safeguard jobs in the offshore energy sector.

Our oil and gas sector significantly contributes towards our economy, and directly employs tens of thousands of highly skilled workers right across the UK. However, the natural decline of oil and gas in the North Sea has seen more than 70,000 jobs lost in the last decade. On 26 November the Government published its North Sea Future Plan. This sets out how we will protect current jobs in oil and gas, while also securing the next generation of good jobs. This includes a new North Sea Jobs Service to provide end-to-end support for the current workforce to access new opportunities.

If he will make a comparative assessment of the carbon intensity of (a) domestically produced oil and gas and (b) imported liquefied natural gas in the last 5 years.

The North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) has published annual Emissions Monitoring Reports since 2021. These contain figures for carbon intensity or emissions intensity (relating to carbon dioxide and methane) of domestically produced oil and gas compared to fossil fuels from other sources, including imported Liquefied Natural Gas. The latest report and methodology can be accessed online:Emissions Monitoring Report 2025Emissions Monitoring Report 2025 methodology

If he will take steps to prioritise domestic oil and gas production over imports.

Our priority is a fair, orderly transition to homegrown clean energy to ensure energy security and protect billpayers. Further oil and gas exploration and production licences would not meaningfully increase UK production levels, nor would they change the UK’s status as a net importer of oil and gas. The UK benefits from a secure and diverse energy system, drawing on multiple sources to reduce reliance on any single supply. Our ‘North Sea Future Plan’ sets out how we will implement our manifesto commitments in relation to domestic oil and gas production.

To publish all assessments his Department has made of the implications for UK energy security of importing approximately 40% of the UK’s energy in the last five years.

The Department and Ofgem jointly publish annual statutory security of supply reports, which provide a comprehensive assessment of the availability of secure and affordable electricity, gas and oil to meet the UK’s energy needs. These reports consider the contribution of both domestic production and imports to the UK’s overall energy security. The link to the most recent report is included below. Statutory security of supply report: 2024 - GOV.UK

In the next two years, how many new oil and gas licences his Department will examine and what proportion he estimates will be approved; and what assessment he has made of the impact of licensing policy on the future viability of existing North Sea infrastructure.

The Government will legislate to meet its landmark manifesto commitment to end new licences to explore new oil and gas fields. To support existing fields and infrastructure, the Government will introduce new Transitional Energy Certificates for a managed, prosperous and orderly transition.The evidence suggests that even if new licenses were issued it would have only a marginal impact on overall production in the North Sea given it is a super mature basin which has been in decline for more than two decades.

How much (a) their Department and (b) its arm’s length bodies have spent on (i) installing electric vehicle charging facilities and (ii) purchasing electric vehicles since 4 July 2024; and what estimate their Department has made of the difference in capital cost between (A) the electric vehicles purchased by their Department and (B) comparable (1) petrol and (2) diesel models.

The Department occupies GPA and HMRC estate and therefore has not purchased any electric vehicle charging points at its sites or purchased any electric vehicles. Data for arms-length-bodies is not held centrally.

Pursuant to the Answer of 30 May 2025 to Question 53535 on Arms Length Bodies, if he will list those delivery options.

The options referred to in that response, including delivery options for decarbonisation, are being finalised. Further information will be announced in due course.

Pursuant to the Answer of 17 June 2025 to Question 58273 on DESNZ: Aviation, if he will publish details of his domestic travel since 5 July 2024.

Details of internal domestic flights are not published.

With reference to paragraph 2.97 of HM Treasury's publication entitled Spending Review 2025: Departmental Efficiency Plans published on 11 June 2025, what the evidential basis is that insourcing will drive down costs by 40 to 60 per cent.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) will reduce its reliance on external consultants and contractors by building internal capability in key corporate functions. DESNZ benchmarking and commercial frameworks show external consultants and contractors typically attract significantly higher day rates in comparison to permanent staff. With targeted investment in skills, smarter talent deployment, and improved retention, the department can realise associated efficiencies of 40–60% in specific functions.

How many office desks are allocated to staff in GB Energy; and how many staff are employed by GB Energy.

Great British Energy will be headquartered in Aberdeen, Scotland, recognising the expertise, skilled workforce, and diversity of projects already in place. In the interim, Great British Energy is headquartered in DESNZ’s second headquarters in Aberdeen, Crimon Place, to ensure the organisation can get to work as quickly as possible.A total of 39 staff are currently working on the setup of Great British Energy. That number is set to increase when the organisation is fully operational.

How many times he has taken a domestic flight for official travel purposes; which locations he has travelled to; and what the cost was for those flights.

Data on ministers’ travel is published on a quarterly basis. This can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/desnz-ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of China General Nuclear Power Corporation’s involvement in the construction of Hinkley Point C on cyber-security.

To build and operate a nuclear site, a security plan, which includes cyber security, must be put in place and approved by the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR). The ONR, an independent regulator, then ensures that plan is effectively enforced. The security of nuclear facilities will continue to remain paramount for ONR and Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

Pursuant to the Answer of 2 May 2025 to Question 48042 on Great British Energy: Staff, if he will publish the declaration of interests of each of those appointments; and which of those appointments are regulated public appointments.

All appointments were direct appointments, based on Great British Energy’s (GBE) set-up phase needs.All appointees have declared their interests to the Department as part of the appointment process. The Department and GBE are both committed to transparent and accountable governance and will publish expectations to this end in GBE's framework document later this year.

Whether appointments to Great British Energy will be included in the Public Bodies Order in Council; and whether the chair will be classified as a significant appointment.

Once Great British Energy (GBE) is formally designated following Royal Assent of the GBE Bill, we will consider whether to propose an amendment to the Public Bodies Order in Council; and whether the GBE Chair will be classified as a significant appointment.

Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, for what reason his Department intends to establish Great British Energy as an arm’s length body.

It is our intention that Great British Energy will be a publicly owned energy company and an Arm’s Length Body in line with Cabinet Office guidance. Setting up GBE in this way will ensure the right balance between operational independence and accountability to Parliament.

Whether he plans to lay an Official Statistics Order to include Great British Energy.

The Department does not expect to amend the Official Statistics Order 2023 to include Great British Energy (GBE), because GBE will be an operationally independent energy company and we do not anticipate it will produce the sorts of statistics expected of ...

What comparative assessment he has made of the potential impact of (a) importing coal from overseas and (b) mining coal in the UK on the environment.

On 14th November 2024 the Government announced its intention to restrict the licensing of new coal mines: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2024-11-14/hcws215 The Department has not undertaken an assessment of the enviro...

Whether his Department has made a comparative assessment of the potential environmental impact of (a) importing coal from abroad for domestic consumption and (b) mining coal in the UK.

In line with our net zero target, we committed to phasing out unabated coal-fired power generation by 1st October 2024, a year earlier than the original 2025 target, and on September 30th Great Britain’s last coal fired electricity power plant, Ratcliffe-...

Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 26 July 2024 to Question 1982 on Coal: Imports and Production and the Answer of 30 August 2024 to Question 3169 on Coal: Railways, if he will make an assessment of

Our manifesto was clear on our intention to not grant new coal licences and we are exploring avenues to achieve this.

Pursuant to the Answer of 1 August 2024 to Question 1982 on Coal: Imports and Production, if he will make an estimate of the amount of coal the UK heritage rail requires on an annual basis.

The Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES) Table 2.1 on Coal Commodities states that the annual figure for heritage railways usage is 15,000 tonnes - https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66a7a17249b9c0597fdb066a/DUKES_2.1.xlsx