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Carbon Emissions: Rural Areas

Asked by Mr Angus MacDonaldLiberal DemocratDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled Answered 16 September 2025UIN 75921

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of a just transition for climate policies on (a) rural areas and (b) Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire constituency.

Answered by Michael Shanks

The transition to net zero is the economic and industrial opportunity of the century. The government's approach is built on fairness and it is committed to ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to access the benefits. The upcoming publication of the Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery Plan and the Clean Energy Workforce Strategy will outline this approach further. This includes ongoing work supporting both rural and urban communities and working with Devolved Governments to ensure a prosperous and fair transition for all.

In particular, the Clean Energy Workforce Strategy which will set out our approach to upskilling and reskilling the workforce into clean energy roles through initiatives including the Energy Skills Passport, in collaboration with industry. The skills system is delivering training for existing workers looking to retrain or upskill into clean energy.

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