Tom Hunt – 2022 Parliamentary Question on Employment Opportunities from Sizewell

The parliamentary question asked by Tom Hunt, the Conservative MP for Ipswich, in the House of Commons on 29 November 2022.

Tom Hunt

What assessment the Government have made of the potential impact of Sizewell C on employment in the local area. (902462)

The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Grant Shapps)

I visited the site yesterday and was delighted to confirm the nearly £700 million investment in Sizewell C pledged in the autumn statement.

Tom Hunt

There are clearly significant national benefits to Sizewell C in terms of national security, but as a Suffolk MP I am particularly interested in potential jobs creation. I understand that about 10,000 new jobs could be created. I previously worked closely with EDF and Suffolk New College to see how we can ensure that as many local people—and my constituents in Ipswich—benefit from Sizewell C as possible. Will the Secretary of State, in his own time—when he has a little availability—meet me, the principal of Suffolk New College, other education sector leaders and EDF to see how Ipswich people can benefit in a real, tangible way from Sizewell C?

Grant Shapps

My hon. Friend will be interested and happy to learn that I met two apprentices at Sizewell yesterday, who have two of what we expect to be 1,500 new apprentice jobs. He is right to mention 10,000 jobs in the immediate area—perhaps there will be 20,000 across the country—and we expect more than 70% of investment in the project to come to the UK. I will gladly meet him and his colleagues to discuss that further.