The domestic expansion of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) will only include emissions from international journeys, including cruises, produced while at berth in UK ports. This means, as outlined in the UK ETS expansion to domestic maritime Impact Assessment, that there is not expected to be any net loss of competitiveness for international cruise visits to UK ports relative to ports in the European Economic Area, where these emissions are already in scope of the EU ETS. As such, the impact is expected to be minimal.

Responsibility for electricity policy is transferred to the Northern Ireland Assembly under the provisions of the Northern Ireland Act 1998. However, on 25 March, Government published the Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy and launched a call for evidence on Net Zero Ports, focusing on future energy demand and shore power. We are considering responses to the call for evidence.

In Great Britain, Government is working with Ofgem and the National Energy System Operator on reforms to accelerate grid connections, alongside using new powers in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill to accelerate strategic demand projects. These steps should support power deployment for ports.

Reforming the connections process and investing in the grid is a key Government priority. This includes reforms that are expected to deprioritise over half of the existing queue based on readiness and strategic alignment with our strategy as set out in Clean Power 2030.

Department for Transport ministers and officials meet regularly with their counterparts in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. These include discussions on the significance of getting sufficient grid capacity to electrify ports, for cruise and ferries to use shore power and policy options to accelerate connection dates for strategic demand customers, such as critical port sites. This is informed by the Department for Transport call for evidence on Net Zero Ports, published in March 2025, which posed questions on managing future energy demand at ports.

The UK’s ports sector is largely privately owned and operated, with the Government’s role primarily to ensure that the policy and regulatory environment supports investment. Ports policy is devolved, with the Department for Transport responsible for ports in England and Milford Haven in Wales. My Department is streamlining planning and regulatory processes for these ports, including by updating the National Policy Statement for Ports.

The Government provides targeted support where there are clear public benefits, such as on decarbonisation. In September the Department announced a £448 million extension to the UK SHORE programme, the biggest ever Government investment in commercial maritime across the UK. In addition, my Department is working with the National Wealth Fund, which has committed at least £5.8 billion of its capital to five sectors, including UK ports.

The UK’s ports sector is largely privately owned and operated, with the government’s role primarily to ensure that the policy and regulatory environment supports efficient operation and investment, and to provide targeted support for connectivity and decarbonisation where there are clear public benefits. My Department is working at pace to update and streamline planning and regulatory processes for ports, including by updating the National Policy Statement for Ports. In addition, the Government is working with the National Wealth Fund, which has committed at least £5.8 billion of its capital to five sectors, including ports.

We have recently published our Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy that sets out our plans to decarbonise the domestic maritime sector. This Strategy includes a package of policy and regulatory measures across both the port and shipping industries. Reducing emissions builds on the increased efficiency of operators, combined with a transition to cleaner zero, and near-zero greenhouse gas emission fuels and energy sources, and this Strategy considers the role of these fuels, and how we will support their uptake.

All policies laid out in the Strategy will be developed further and will be subject to formal consultation before implementation.

The Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy sets out Government’s plans for decarbonising the domestic maritime sector, including goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and policies to support this. The Maritime Strategy will be published later this year. It will focus on our four priorities of people, growth, environment and safety. Ports have a crucial role to play across all of these.

The Command paper The UK’s Approach to the Northern Ireland Protocol (CP226) acknowledged the particular requirements under the Protocol on agrifood movements from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. It also said that the Government would make proposals to minimise requirements on agrifood movements.

The UK’s applications to the European Commission for approval of facilities to conduct checks on agrifood goods at points of entry to Northern Ireland reflect those proposals. We are engaging with the Commission on both. The Government has confirmed to the Northern Ireland Executive in principle it will fund the costs of implementing agrifood checks, subject to business case approval.

The UK submitted applications to the European Commission on 30 June for approval of facilities to conduct checks on agrifood goods at points of entry to Northern Ireland. These are for the purposes of sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures at Larne and Foyle ports, and for existing SPS inspection posts to be expanded at Belfast and Warrenpoint ports. These applications fulfil our obligations under the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The Command paper The UK’s Approach to the Northern Ireland Protocol (CP226) acknowledged the particular requirements under the Protocol on agrifood movements from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. It also said that the Government would make proposals to minimise requirements on agrifood movements.

The UK’s applications to the European Commission for approval of facilities to conduct checks on agrifood goods at points of entry to Northern Ireland reflect those proposals. We are engaging with the Commission on both. The Government has confirmed to the Northern Ireland Executive in principle it will fund the costs of implementing agrifood checks, subject to business case approval.

The Command paper The UK’s Approach to the Northern Ireland Protocol (CP226) acknowledged the particular requirements under the Protocol on agrifood movements from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. It also said that the Government would make proposals to minimise requirements on agrifood movements.

The UK’s applications to the European Commission for approval of facilities to conduct checks on agrifood goods at points of entry to Northern Ireland reflect those proposals. We are engaging with the Commission on both. The Government has confirmed to the Northern Ireland Executive in principle it will fund the costs of implementing agrifood checks, subject to business case approval.

The Command paper The UK’s Approach to the Northern Ireland Protocol (CP226) acknowledged the particular requirements under the Protocol on agrifood movements from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. It also said that the Government would make proposals to minimise requirements on agrifood movements.

The UK’s applications to the European Commission for approval of facilities to conduct checks on agrifood goods at points of entry to Northern Ireland reflect those proposals. We are engaging with the Commission on both. The Government has confirmed to the Northern Ireland Executive in principle it will fund the costs of implementing agrifood checks, subject to business case approval.

The Command paper The UK’s Approach to the Northern Ireland Protocol (CP226) acknowledged the particular requirements under the Protocol on agrifood movements from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. It also said that the Government would make proposals to minimise requirements on agrifood movements.

The UK’s applications to the European Commission for approval of facilities to conduct checks on agrifood goods at points of entry to Northern Ireland reflect those proposals. We are engaging with the Commission on both. The Government has confirmed to the Northern Ireland Executive in principle it will fund the costs of implementing agrifood checks, subject to business case approval.

I had unanimous support for our position that this is designed to fix a problem that we do not have in the United Kingdom. However, there are problems in other European ports, and cross-channel business and business across other seaways is important to the UK as an exporting nation. It is important to get a reasonable conclusion to these discussions, which I expect to happen under the Dutch presidency next year.