Asked by: Baroness Pidgeon (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how UK maritime decarbonisation efforts will be impacted by the expansion of the Emissions Trading Scheme to maritime.
Answered by Lord Whitehead - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The inclusion of the maritime sector in the UK ETS will, in combination with other enabling policies, strengthen the effectiveness of the scheme in incentivising investment in decarbonisation across the covered sectors.
Specifically, the scheme provides a clear price signal that supports investment in cleaner vessels, operational efficiency and emerging low carbon fuels.
The policy is expected to deliver a net reduction of approximately 645,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent over the next 20 years.
Asked by: Baroness Pidgeon (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that UK maritime decarbonisation efforts are supported by revenues raised by the expansion of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme to maritime.
Answered by Lord Whitehead - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Receipts from the UK Emissions Trading Scheme support the Government’s wider priorities, including spending to support decarbonisation.
The Government recognises that decarbonising the maritime sector requires a suite of policies and is providing funding and policy support to facilitate this transition.
For example, between April 2022 and March 2026, the Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions programme has allocated £240m to the research and development of clean maritime solutions.
In September 2025, the Government announced a further £448m R&D funding for the programme for the period to 2030. This represents the biggest government investment ever in our commercial maritime industry.
Asked by: Baroness Pidgeon (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the expansion of the Emissions Trading Scheme to maritime on cruise operations in the UK.
Answered by Lord Whitehead - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The UK Emissions Trading Scheme will only include emissions from domestic voyages and emissions within UK ports.
Emissions from voyages within the European Economic Area (EEA) and emissions within EEA ports are already in scope of the EU Emissions Trading System, which also applies to 50% of international voyage emissions.
The Government therefore expects no net loss of competitiveness for cruise visits to UK ports relative to EEA ports as a result of the inclusion in the UK ETS of the domestic maritime sector.
On this basis, the Government considers the impact on the cruise sector to be minimal.
Asked by: Baroness Pidgeon (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the UK’s competitive advantage in hydrogen and fuel cell technologies, compared to European counterparts.
Answered by Lord Wilson of Sedgefield - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK is optimally positioned to support a thriving hydrogen economy with UK companies at the forefront of hydrogen technology development.
Our approach to hydrogen balances comprehensive funding support with long-term stability, which continues to unlock significant investment.
The EU, and individual EU member states, are important partners for our shared ambitions to scale up our hydrogen sectors quickly and create opportunities for UK companies. And, as the UK Trade Strategy makes clear, supporting our businesses to grow through trade is key to future economic growth.
Asked by: Baroness Pidgeon (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they intend to publish the consultation on expanding the Clean Industry Bonus to hydrogen.
Answered by Lord Wilson of Sedgefield - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
As set out in the Clean Energy Industries Sector Plan, we are considering expanding the Clean Industry Bonus to hydrogen and will consult on any proposals. We are currently developing a new Hydrogen Strategy and will provide an update on this in due course.
In addition to considering the Clean Industry Bonus, we have a strong offer for domestic manufacturing including support from our Public Finance Institutions and deployment certainty through Hydrogen Allocation Rounds (HARs). Additionally, we welcome the industry-led voluntary ambition of 50% UK local content for hydrogen across the value chain from 2030.
Asked by: Baroness Pidgeon (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prioritise access to electricity grids for port electrification, including in relation to onshore power supply for ferries and cruise ships.
Answered by Lord Wilson of Sedgefield - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Department is working closely with Ofgem, the National Energy System Operator, and network companies on fundamental reforms to the connections process. This is expected to release up to 500GW of capacity from the queue enabling quicker connections for many demand projects. This may include acceleration of shore power projects where capacity is released in port locations.
As announced in the Industrial Strategy, my department is also developing measures to accelerate the connection of strategic demand projects in a wide range of sectors, including through a new Connections Accelerator Service, to be launched this year.