Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee [Draft]

Meeting date: Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Official Report 889KB pdf

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Subordinate Legislation

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Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme (Amendment) Order 2024 (SSI 2024/192)

Our next item is consideration of a Scottish statutory instrument. As the instrument has been laid under the negative procedure, its provisions will come into force unless the Parliament agrees to a motion to annul it. No such motion has been lodged. As the clerk’s paper notes, the instrument has been laid in all four UK legislatures and is UK-wide.

Do any members have any comments?

I just want to make a brief comment. It is important that the UK emissions trading scheme continues to align with the European Union emissions trading scheme. After all, as we have seen with the interaction between the Swiss and the EU schemes, the direction of travel seems to be to link the schemes at some point in the future, which will offer more certainty for business.

From what I can see, however, what is being brought forward in this instrument does not change that question of alignment. It does not alter the number of free allocations, for example, so I do not see any significant divergence arising as a result of it. That satisfies me that we have our scheme, and the EU has its scheme, but the potential to link them after the reform of the EU-UK trade and co-operation agreement is still on the table.

Monica, do you want to come in briefly?

I just want to say that that was a good summary by Mark Ruskell, and I agree with it.

Okay.

Noting those comments—and I thank Mark Ruskell for making them—I invite the committee to agree that it does not want to make any recommendations in relation to the instrument. Are we agreed?

Members indicated agreement.

That concludes our part of the public meeting. We now go into private session.

12:31 Meeting continued in private until 12:46.