Greatrex slams Tories for ‘ignoring own figures’ on shale jobs

Tom Greatrex has attacked energy minister Michael Fallon for ignoring the government’s own Strategic Environmental Assessment when quoting potential jobs arising from UK shale extraction.

In Energy Questions in Westminster today, the energy minister said that up to 74,000 jobs would be created by fracking in the UK– a figure quoted by the Prime Minister earlier this week.

However, Greatrex highlighted the detailed Strategic Environmental Assessment, undertaken for the Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc) by AMEC and published last month, which estimated a peak of 16,000 to 32,000 direct and indirect jobs during the 14th licensing round.

During their exchange in the House of Commons, Fallon said: “There have been a number of estimates, but, as I have said, it is far too early to be sure about the pace of shale gas extraction when we are still at the exploration stage.

“We have seen estimates from AMEC, and I have quoted the estimate from the Institute of Directors.”

However, Greatrex has accused the Conservatives of “posturing” and said the Tory ministers in Decc need to “start taking a responsible approach to shale gas.”

He added: “With significant and legitimate environmental concerns from many people, the government has a duty to be responsible and cautious in its assessment of potential benefits of an, as yet, unknown resource and in ensuring the right safeguards are in place.

“Instead, this week we have seen Tory ministers refer to a jobs figure from a report which has been superseded by a detailed assessment undertaken for the relevant government department – today Michael Fallon repeated that figure in Parliament and again ignored the Decc strategic assessment.

“It is little wonder there is so much concern about fracking when Tory ministers appear to be more interested in hyping prospects in the hope that shale is the energy silver bullet than taking this issue seriously.”