Every parliamentary written question tabled by Brian Leishman this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 1–20 of 28 · Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of utilising the undistributed surplus in the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme to fund a pension bonus to members in 2026-2027 financial year.
I recently met the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme Trustees and discussed the proposed changes that Trustees have put forward. Work is underway to assess the benefits and risks of the Trustees’ proposals. We are aiming to implement changes as swiftly as possible.
If he will take steps to ensure that all of the future surpluses accrued by the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme can be used to increase the pensions of members of that Scheme.
I recently met the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme Trustees and discussed the proposed changes that Trustees have put forward. Work is underway to assess the benefits and risks of the Trustees’ proposals. We are aiming to implement changes as swiftly as possible.
What assessment he has made of the potential merits of removing the standstill feature from the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme.
I recently met the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme Trustees and discussed the proposed changes that Trustees have put forward. Work is underway to assess the benefits and risks of the Trustees’ proposals. We are aiming to implement changes as swiftly as possible.
If he will make an estimate of the value of offshore catering contracts awarded in the oil and gas sector since 2019 to date.
No such assessment has been made.
What discussions his Department has had with (a) the Department for Transport and (b) offshore helicopter transport operators on advice that HM Coastguard has supplied to the oil and gas industry on Search and Rescue helicopter winching systems.
Details of Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.
What steps his Department is taking to help support businesses to invest in (a) Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carriers and (b) other chemical hydrogen storage, including revenue certainty.
Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carriers, and other chemical hydrogen storage, is a nascent technology that the Government has previously supported through the Net Zero Innovation Portfolio. As the Government considers geological storage to be the most strategic value to the hydrogen economy in the near-term, this will be the focus of the Hydrogen Storage Business Model. The Government will however continue to review technological developments and in the long-term, a mix of storage technologies with complementary characteristics may be required to support the development of the hydrogen economy.
What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier conversion projects being eligible for Net Zero Hydrogen Fund grant funding.
The Net Zero Hydrogen Fund was designed to bring forward the first UK low carbon hydrogen production projects, and was not intended to support other parts of the hydrogen value chain, such as hydrogen carriers. It made its final funding allocations in 2023.
If his Department plans to amend its Hydrogen Storage Business Model to include Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier storage.
Whilst chemical storage technologies such as liquid organic hydrogen carriers may have a role to play, such as for users with limited access to large-scale storage, there are no plans to include this type of storage in the initial allocation of the storage business model. The business model focus on large-scale geological storage is because we consider this type of storage essential to establishing the UK’s first regional hydrogen network as it can provide greater storage capacity and best support energy security. This type of storage is unlikely to be built without government support.
Whether the UK Hydrogen Strategy will consider the strategic potential of Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carriers.
Government continues to consider a range of potential hydrogen carriers, including Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carriers (LOHCs), and their role in the transport, storage and trade of hydrogen. While we cannot comment on the contents of the Hydrogen Strategy ahead of its publication, we welcome further evidence and engagement from stakeholders on the strategic potential of LOHCs.
What comparative assessment his Department has made of the costs of (a) Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carriers and (b) geological storage for hydrogen in the UK.
Government continues to develop its evidence base on the costs of hydrogen storage and consider the potential role of using hydrogen storage across the hydrogen value chain. The previous Government’s Hydrogen Transport and Storage Cost Report (2023) includes a comparative assessment of the expected levelised cost of above ground and geological storage. The International Energy Agency’s Global Hydrogen Review (2023) includes an assessment of the potential levelised cost of Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carriers used for international trade.
With reference to the press release entitled Supporting Grangemouth workers, published on 26 August 2025, how much additional funding has been allocated; and how much and what proportion of that funding has been provided by the (a) UK and (b) Scottish Government.
The extension of the Grangemouth Training Guarantee to support INEOS Olefins & Polymers shared services employees directly affected by the closure of the Grangemouth oil refinery builds on support put in place earlier this year for Grangemouth refinery workers. This brings the total projected investment in the Grangemouth Training Guarantee from UK and Scottish Governments up to £2 million. The Grangemouth Training Guarantee is a joint project between UK and Scottish Governments and both governments will provide equal funding. We are working closely with Forth Valley College who will mapping workers skills and qualifications, and training needs to identify and deliver re/upskilling support and training. UK and Scottish Governments will use the findings of the Training Need Analysis to fund the delivery of training. Final costs are dependent on the outcome of the Training Need Analysis.
Whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of replacing domestically refined oil with imported oil at Grangemouth on the UK's balance of payments.
We do not expect a substantial impact as Grangemouth already imported more than 90% of its crude oil in 2023.
Whether he has had discussions with Ineos on the country of origin of the crude oil it intends to import into the Grangemouth refinery.
Details of Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.
What discussions he has had with the oil and gas industry on the effectiveness of the industry's processes for developing safety standards for offshore oil and gas workers.
Details of Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.
What discussions he has had with the oil and gas industry on the effectiveness of the industry's checks for valid safety certification among prospective offshore workers.
Details of Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.
What steps his Department is taking to ensure a just transition for oil and gas (a) communities and (b) workers.
We intend to manage the North Sea in a way that ensures a fair, orderly and prosperous transition, with no community left behind. We have already launched Great British Energy, begun the biggest ever investment in offshore wind, and are moving ahead with new North Sea industries like carbon capture and storage and hydrogen. The UK has a highly skilled oil and gas workforce, with high transferability of skills to these new roles. We have also created the Office for Clean Energy Jobs to ensure that clean energy jobs are abundant, high-quality, fairly paid, and have good working conditions.
What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the financial information provided by Petroineos; and what discussions he has had with Petroineos on that information.
Petroineos is a private company – a joint venture between PetroChina and INEOS. We have worked closely with the company and with the Scottish Government to understand the financial challenges facing the Grangemouth refinery. Petroineos’ shareholders have invested more than $1.2bn since 2011 to maintain the refinery’s safe operation, recording losses in excess of $775m during the same period. The Government pushed the company to continue refining for as long as possible however the company made clear that there was no viable commercial future for the refinery operation, which it will now convert to an import terminal. Details of Ministers’ meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.
What steps his Department is taking to ensure that refined oil products imported via Grangemouth are not sourced from Russia.
The import, acquisition, supply and delivery of Russian oil and oil products into the UK has been banned since 5 December 2022, with the last cargo of primary oils arriving from Russia in October 2022 and finished products in November 2022. (Energy Trends Table 3.14). All importers of oil and oil products into the UK must provide proof of origin to demonstrate that goods are not of Russian origin to enforcement authorities. The Government is committed to ensuring that third countries are not used by Russia to evade sanctions and will continue to keep sanctions under review.
Whether his Department provides (a) subsidies and (b) other financial assistance to types of energy production in the UK.
Yes, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero does provide subsidies and other financial assistance to types of energy production in the UK.
What discussions he has had with representatives of the Grangemouth oil refinery on operational difficulties.
Details of Ministers’ and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK. Published declarations include the purpose of the meeting and the names of any additional external organisations or individuals in attendance.