Debate contribution: Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme (Amendment) (Extension to Maritime Activities) Order 2026

Debate contribution by Mr John Blair on 10 March 2026.

MLA

Mr John Blair

Party at the time

Alliance Party

Date

10 March 2026

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Executive Committee Business

Heading

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme (Amendment) (Extension to Maritime Activities) Order 2026

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5436240

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the draft Order, which aims to decarbonise the maritime sector. I thank the AERA Minister for presenting the Order and for his ongoing and significant engagement with the UK Government. I appreciate the support provided by departmental officials to the AERA Committee, and I thank the stakeholders who shared their views with the Committee. Ultimately, Alliance views the Order as a significant declaration of intent by the United Kingdom domestically and internationally. It shows a strong commitment to climate action in a sector that has traditionally been more difficult to regulate and decarbonise. Emissions trading schemes such as the one being discussed today are a proven tool in driving down carbon emissions. By placing a cost on emissions within a cap-and-trade model, they create a long-term price signal that incentivises sectors to innovate, invest and cut their carbon footprint.

In simple terms, the more that you pollute, the more that you pay, and the more that you will save by cutting emissions. We must embed that logic across our economy if we are serious about meeting climate targets, which, I remind Members, are legally binding.

I will give way briefly, but I am keen to make progress.

I will come shortly to levies and investment in the sector, which, as I am sure that the Chair will admit, were not represented in his report. It should be noted that some ferry operators already include an environmental fee in fare charges. There is no doubt that that will have helped already in decarbonisation efforts. The principle is not new. I am intrigued as to why the report from the Chair, and, therefore, the Committee, did not reflect any of that. I will be blunt: two of the three shades of the TUV have spoken already and have chosen to ignore that, just as they chose to ignore CBI opinion, which was also offered to the Committee. Since Brexit, the UK and the EU have operated separate emissions trading schemes. However, the decision last year by the EU and UK to begin negotiations to link the schemes is very positive. That has long been called for by Alliance, very specifically in our recent 'Stronger Together' document. From an environmental perspective, linked systems can reduce carbon leakage, stabilise carbon prices and create clearer incentives for decarbonisation across these islands and throughout Europe. The inclusion of maritime emissions in the UK ETS is essential for linking the UK and EU schemes. That linkage will also facilitate an exemption from the EU carbon border adjustment mechanism — as was pointed out, there is more detail on that to come — removing a major barrier to trade and lowering costs for UK businesses. If the instrument does not pass at the Assembly today, it will fall everywhere. The Order in Council cannot be made without the agreement of all the UK Administrations. Therefore, this is not only a local environmental measure; it is a decision with clear UK-wide implications. In real terms, that has consequences. It also affects parity on the Irish Sea. If we fail to pass the Order, there is a real risk of businesses rerouting via the Republic of Ireland to avoid additional costs in the future, which would undermine our economy and our environmental goals by shifting, rather than reducing, emissions.

Not at this stage, no. Therefore, the Order helps to protect Northern Ireland from the economic impacts of divergent ETS regimes between the UK and the EU while embedding the principle that maritime emissions must be accounted for and reduced. Such initiatives are vital if the UK is to meet its climate commitments. They safeguard our natural resources and ecosystems while strengthening our economy, creating opportunities for growth and innovation, and keeping us in line with other leading economies. Alliance supports the direction represented by the Order and will continue to work for a future in which Northern Ireland is at the forefront of climate action and green innovation, not playing catch-up.

668 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:11 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

Disagree with this assessment?

Classifications can be challenged. A person reads every challenge, and any change is recorded publicly above with its reason.

Challenge this classification