§ Paddy TippingTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how trading of sulphur dioxide and nitrous oxides within the national emission reduction plan proposed by her Department for implementation of the Large Combustion Plants Directive would operate, with particular reference to the Commission's decision that trading of pollutant emissions will only be allowed where emissions fall below best available techniques. [155897]
§ Alun MichaelThe general principles of an emissions trading scheme were set out in the National Emissions Reduction Plan submitted to the European Commission in November 2003. The plan is available on the Defra website. The details of any such scheme would be defined in close consultation with the potential participants depending on the Government' final decision on the UK' approach to implementing the Large Combustion Plants Directive.
Plants within such a scheme would be able to trade allowances freely but would still have to comply, at all times, with all other relevant legislation, including the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Directive which requires the application of best available techniques.