To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether he plans to set targets for carbon dioxide emissions reductions from the shipping industry. (279976)

Shipping is an international industry and regulation of carbon dioxide from shipping will be most effectively achieved through international action. To this end the Government are seeking to ensure that the 15th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Copenhagen on 7-18 December 2009 will set an emissions reduction target for the shipping sector.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent assessment he has made of the accuracy of the methodology for calculating carbon dioxide emissions from shipping. (279977)

The Department of Transport's assessment on this subject was contained in the Department's memorandum of evidence submitted to the Environmental Audit Committee last year. The memorandum is reproduced in the published Environmental Audit Committee report on ‘Reducing CO₂ and other emissions from shipping’ (HC 528, Session 2008-09), on pages Ev 66-70.