Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of (a) replacing the Emissions Trading System modernisation funding and (b) redirecting investment in coal power stations to clean energy after the UK leaves the EU.

Regarding (a), as the Clean Growth Strategy sets out, the Government is considering the UK’s future participation in the EU Emissions Trading System after our exit from the EU and we remain firmly committed to carbon pricing as an emissions reduction tool. We will seek to ensure that any future approach is at least as ambitious as the existing scheme and provide a smooth transition for the relevant sectors.

Regarding (b), the Government makes no investment in coal power. We have this month set out our proposals for ending unabated coal power generation from 2025. This policy sends a clear signal to investors in new generation capacity that we are moving to a cleaner electricity system, guaranteeing reductions in CO2 and air pollution by 2025.