Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with the maritime sector on the effect decarbonising that sector will have on improving (a) the environment and (b) air quality.

Officials have regularly engaged with industry on the issue of maritime decarbonisation, particularly since the launch of the Clean Maritime Council, in 2018. When discussing the need for rapid decarbonisation with the maritime sector the Department for Transport has been careful to consider and include the opportunities for wider environmental improvements, including to air quality.

Research carried out for the Department in support of the Clean Maritime Plan considered air quality elements alongside decarbonisation, and looked at options for decarbonisation that would also maximise the air quality benefits. This work has been published on Gov.UK, and was shared with the maritime sector as part of a wider dialogue on zero emissions shipping.