§ Norman BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what involvement she has had and what position she has taken on the setting of the carbon dioxide reduction target relative to 1990 levels within the National Allocation Plan to implement the EU Emissions Trading Directive. [167752]
§ Mr TimmsI have been closely involved in and fully support the decision published in the draft National Allocation Plan (NAP) on setting the overall allocation of allowances for the first phase of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EUETS) on the projected level of UK emissions, taking into account the Climate Change Programme's planned reduction from emissions trading. While the modelling used for the draft NAP indicated this approach would be equivalent to a 16.3 per cent. reduction in emissions of carbon dioxide over 1990 levels by 2010, the draft NAP indicated that emissions projections were continuing to be refined and the overall level of allowances to be included in the final NAP to be submitted to the Commission would be reviewed in the light of the latest projections. Revisions to projections will be reflected in the NAP to be submitted to the European Commission. We further expect to publish a working paper on the overall emissions projections in May and a final set of emissions projections in June which will be used for calculating final allocations. As a result, the overall percentage 1159W reduction in the carbon dioxide emissions over 1990 levels covered by the NAP will almost certainly change to reflect that work.